You can always smell victory, it has that distinct scent of jet fuel and confidence. As I go through the stack of defense briefings and diplomatic wires that hit my desk this week, the proof is right there in black and white. The evidence is huge. Pakistan isn’t viewed the same way anymore; the global perception has fundamentally shifted. We are no longer just a nation defending our own borders because we have become the armory of choice for the developing world. The question I hear most often from my international colleagues isn’t if Pakistan can defend itself, but how fast we can deliver that same capability to them.

The catalyst for this transformation is singular and undeniable. In May 2025, the skies over our eastern border became the testing ground for the world’s most intense aerial combat in decades. The result was not just a defense of our sovereignty but a global advertisement for superior air power. When China’s State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense officially confirmed last week that the J-10CE, Pakistan’s primary export-oriented fighter, achieved a crushing combat victory, shooting down multiple hostile aircraft without a single loss, it........

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