SOURCE: AFI
In a fresh episode highlighting Islamabad’s often premature and inaccurate military disclosures, Pakistan’s official government Twitter (now X) account quietly deleted a post that had claimed China would sell its HQ-19 Ballistic Missile Defense/Long-Range Air Defence System (BMD/LRADS) to Pakistan. The tweet, which drew considerable attention online, was removed without explanation—prompting widespread speculation and ridicule.
The same account previously came under fire for sharing video game footage from ARMA 3 and falsely presenting it as visuals of Pakistani military strikes, raising questions about the credibility of the country’s official digital communication platforms.
While China remains Pakistan’s most reliable defence partner, sources with knowledge of Chinese arms export policy confirm that the Central Military Commission (CMC) of China has not authorized the export of the HQ-19 system. In fact, no official export variant of the HQ-19 has even been developed, and the system remains exclusive to the People’s Liberation Army for strategic deterrence and missile defense roles.
The HQ-19, considered China’s closest equivalent to the U.S. THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense), is a key component of its high-altitude anti-ballistic missile shield. Its sensitivity, technological complexity, and strategic nature make it a tightly controlled asset unlikely to be transferred, especially without a formal export version and political green-light from the top echelons of China’s defence apparatus.
Meanwhile, defense observers confirm that China will sell the J-35 stealth fighter (a naval variant of the FC-31) to Pakistan, but the first deliveries are not expected before 2028. The aircraft is still undergoing development and navalization trials for the Chinese Navy, and export production for foreign clients—like Pakistan—has not yet begun.
The J-35 is expected to bolster Pakistan’s airpower in the 2030s, particularly as a counterbalance to India’s AMCA fifth-generation fighter program and the Rafale fleet. However, its timeline remains uncertain, and any procurement will likely hinge on favorable financing terms from Beijing.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and its affiliated handles have, over the years, developed a reputation for prematurely announcing or exaggerating defense acquisitions. The now-deleted HQ-19 tweet is consistent with a broader pattern of overstatement—often aimed at projecting deterrence or responding to domestic pressures.
The ARMA 3 episode earlier, where in-game footage was passed off as real-world operations, had already sparked a credibility crisis. The HQ-19 claim and its swift retraction have only added to the growing skepticism surrounding Pakistan’s digital and defense communication practices.
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