KARACHI: Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Tuesday Pakistan’s volume of defense exports is not at par with its actual potential, as the South Asian country inaugurated the 12th edition of its premier defense expo in the southern port city of Karachi.
The International Defense Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) exhibition, Pakistan’s premier defense expo, has been held biennially since its inception under General (retired) Pervez Musharraf’s administration in 2000 and has grown into a key event for the defense sector. This year’s exhibition, running from Nov. 19-22 at the Karachi Expo Center, will host over 550 exhibitors, including 340 international defense companies, alongside more than 350 senior civil and military officials from 55 countries.
The exhibition will showcase a wide range of modern and traditional defense equipment, weapons systems and vehicles, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
“Though Pakistan is now exporting some high-tech products to more than 60 countries, the volume of exports is not at par with its actual potential,” Asif said while addressing the exhibition.
“A crucial factor, however, has been the limited involvement of the private sector in defense production and activity.”
The defense minister said relatively less attention has been paid to academia, industry interface and involvement of research and development organizations. He said these factors have curtailed the competitiveness of certain sectors of the defense industry.
“In order to achieve this objective, I will stress upon the integration of public and private defense industry to achieve maximum results,” Asif said. “New ideas, entrepreneurship and management skills mastered by the private sector need to be co-opted with the public sector defense industry.”
Without mentioning Pakistan’s arch-rival and nuclear-armed neighbor India, Asif called for greater cooperation between regional players to make South Asia a safer place.
“We believe in meaningful dialogue on the basis of equality, not only to resolve bilateral issues but also to give chance to peace and harmony in the region,” he said.
‘PRODUCTS OF INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS’
Brig. Ali Adil, director of coordination for IDEAS 2024, had outlined the event’s diverse activities during a news conference over the weekend, saying it includes live demonstrations of cutting-edge defense technology, an international seminar and the IDEAS Tri-Services Karachi Show.
The event will also offer opportunities for networking through business-to-business and business-to-government engagements.
“IDEAS 2024 will bring together representatives of defense industries from around the world to showcase their latest technological innovations, while Pakistan’s defense sector, including both public and private companies, will present products of international standards,” Brig. Adil had said.
He had said this year’s event will feature a new “Startups Pavilion” designed to offer international exposure to young Pakistani entrepreneurs, adding the pavilion will showcase innovative projects and technologies.
An international seminar on “Pakistan Defense Production Potential – Challenges, Opportunities, and Way Forward” will be held on the third day of the event, with presentations from leading national and international experts.
Karachi has faced significant security challenges, including a suicide bombing near Jinnah International Airport last month that killed two Chinese engineers and injured several others. The city also grapples with high street crime rates, with over 90,000 incidents reported in 2023, causing considerable hardship for residents.
To bolster security, local authorities have already fortified the Expo Center, the venue for the exhibition, with multiple layers of containers. As per local media reports, a ban on public gatherings in the city has been imposed for seven days.
