Pakistan: IDEAS-2008 Defense Exhibition

Pakistan: IDEAS-2008 Defense Exhibition (NSI News Source Info) November 26, 2008: KARACHI: The five-day International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS-2008) started today at the Karachi Expo Center with the participation of 162 defense manufacturing organizations from 58 countries and will continue for five days till November 28. The organizers of the event said it is the biggest exhibition in the country’s history.

Pakistan-made missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads to different ranges are on display at the Defense Exhibition in Karachi, Pakistan, on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008 A fighter jet JF-17 Thunder which was jointly built by Pakistan and China is on display at the Defense Exhibition in Karachi, Pakistan, on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008

A Turkish participant displays arms on a stall in preparation for a defense exhibition in Karachi, Pakistan, on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008

The event is aimed at bringing together local and international arms manufacturers and buyers, and exploring possibilities for cooperation and joint ventures in the field of defense production. At least 256 defense-related companies will take part in the exhibition including 94 Pakistani firms. Out of the 94 Pakistani defence companies, almost 60 per cent are from the private sector. As many as 221 defense manufacturing companies participated in IDEAS-2006 including 73 domestic and 148 foreign firms from 27 countries. The first IDEAS was held 2000, with the participation of 125 companies from 45 countries. IDEAS-2008 will see the JF-17 thunder fighter aircraft put to display for the first time at a defense exhibition as a co-production of Pakistani and Chinese defense industries. A seminar is also being held on the first day of IDEAS at a local hotel where national and international defense experts and analysts will dwell on issues concerning security and defense needs of the region in the backdrop of the war against terrorism. Some 66 defense delegations from participating countries are also taking part in the IDEAS-2008 out of which 30 delegations are high-level, headed either by the defense ministers, secretaries or services’ chiefs of the countries. On the sidelines of the IDEAS-2008, over 100 high-level meetings will be held between foreign delegates, key government officials and participants of the exhibition for forging alliances in defense production. Some 7,500 persons have been directly employed by the organizers of IDEAS this year for holding the event. The organizers have also involved over 300 students of prestigious institutes of higher education in the city and imparted training regarding event organization. There have been also numerous persons indirectly employed for holding of the event. Director-General of Defence Export Promotion Organization (DEPO) Major General Mohammad Farooq, who is the organizer of IDEAS, told newsmen at a press conference on Sunday that holding an event with such a remarkable presence of international participation would surely help in the growth of the country’s defense industry and related businesses. Maj. Gen. Farooq said that various unnecessary expenditures for holding IDEAS-2008 had been slashed as the organizers, for the first time, had put in place the idea of self-reliance and hence did not get any financial support from the national exchequer. He said that IDEAS-2008 would also directly benefit the cause of augmenting production capabilities of Pakistan’s defense manufacturing industry. The event also provides a platform for the exchange of ideas, needs and strategies on defence issues among friendly and regional countries, thus promoting a move towards peaceful resolution of international disputes, he said. He said that, owing to the holding of four previous IDEAS events since 2000, the demand for small and light arms, rocket launchers and anti-tank missiles manufactured by Pakistan had increased phenomenally in the international market. He said that, thanks to embargoes slapped on Pakistan’s defense procurement from time to time, the country had achieved self-reliance in defense manufacturing in different spheres. To a question, the DG DEPO said that, given the shortage of space for demonstration of heavy and mechanized weapons and other security concerns, future events of IDEAS should be shifted to a better location, away from heavily populated areas. He said that, as development of infrastructure in other cities would take time, the immediate shifting of the venue of events and exhibitions such as IDEAS was not possible. He expressed his gratitude for people of Karachi who had shown their most sincere and heartfelt gesture of hospitality for guests from so many countries participating in IDEAS, which had ensured the success of the international exhibition. He said that the occupancy of major hotels in Karachi had shot up to 100 per cent due to the event and such positive trends would surely help promote business and economic activities for benefit of Karachiites.