KARACHI: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reached in Karachi to inaugurate IDEAS 2016, a four-day defence exhibition showcasing the country’s indigenously built military hardware, including fighter aircraft, tanks, missiles, drones, APCs and firearms.
The premier was accompanied by Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah, Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman, Naval Chief Admiral Zakaullah and NSA Nasir Janjua was also present at the occassion.
This exhibition held under tight security, the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2016 has drawn delegates from around the world, Commodore Tahir Javed, Director Media of the Defence Export Promotion Organisation (DEPO) said.
Some 418 firms from 34 countries would exhibit their products, of which, 261 are foreign, he added. Moreover, 90 delegations would represent 43 countries. Thirty of them would be headed by defence ministers, secretaries, chiefs of defence staff or services chiefs of respective countries.
Pakistan would showcase main battle tank Al Khalid, JF-17 Thunder, Super Mushshak, K-8 aircraft, Fast Attack Craft Missile boats, armoured personnel carriers, premium grade military hardware and related technology, Commodore Javed said.
Chinese and Turkish exhibitors have been allotted separate pavilions to showcase their defence equipment.
The number of Russian exhibitors has also increased to three this year from only one during the last exhibition. Russian state-controlled arms’ import and export firm, Russia Rosoboronexport, is among them. Some 14 memoranda of understandings to promote defence exports and enter into joint venture with foreign delegates and exhibitors are expected to be signed.
Comdr Javed added nine countries — Luxembourg, Denmark, Belarus, Poland, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Belgium, Nigeria, and Romania — are participating in IDEAS for the first time.
