Inaugurating the 5th International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2008 in Karachi last Monday, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, while assuring foreigners maximum possible security to them and their businesses in Pakistan, also dwell upon the objective of the terrorists.
For, as he put it, they seek to spread terror among the country's foreign friends, so as to force them to leave or to avoid Pakistan, thereby, causing capital flight, and decline in their investment here. More to this, as he rightly observed, this has led to negative stereotyping of Pakistan in the international media, spreading despondency and gloom, though basically betraying disconnect between perception and reality.
Nevertheless, understandably, enthused by the large-scale participation of foreign firms and dignitaries in IDEAS 2008, he viewed it as a proof of the fact that in spite of Pakistan's ongoing fight against terrorism, the economic activities, in the country remain unaffected.
Notably, Premier Gilani averred that to counter the present difficulties Pakistan has been facing as a sequel to its campaign against terrorism, and world economic crisis, it looked forward to increased foreign investment in order to generate a higher level of employment and to diversify its exports by gaining enhanced market access in the friendly countries, in which Pakistan's defence industry has to play an important role through its diversification.
Again, pointing out that Pakistan is now in a position to meet most of the defence equipment needs of friendly countries in Asia, Middle East, Africa and South America, he exhorted the participants to visit the country's defence production facilities and interact with manufacturers to explore possibilities of mutually beneficial defence co-operation.
Of course the IDEAS 2008 presents a wide variety of technology, ranging from equipment used in the Third World countries to the most sophisticated systems borrowed from the West, thus providing a reliable interactive platform for the foreign defence establishments to sort out the best products and technology to cater to their respective defence-related requirements.
Moreover, it also unfolds an ideal opportunity to the Third World defence manufacturers to enter into collaboration and joint ventures with Pakistan or other prospective international partners. It will be recalled that the preceding event, IDEAS-2006, had attracted as many as 221 leading defence manufacturers from 27 countries, including 148 foreign companies.
Significantly, it was attended by more than 30,000 defence professionals, analysts and service personnel. As for the prospects of IDEAS-2008, elaborating on this on its eve, Major General Muhammad Farooq, Director General, Defence Export Promotion Organisation (DEPO) in a press briefing, had unambiguously stated that it would be the biggest and most prestigious event in the exhibition industry of Pakistan.
According to him, it is for the first time that JF-17 (Thunder) is being displayed as a proud co-production by Pakistan defence industry and China, together with some highly effective and sensitive defence related ancillary products to complement the highly sophisticated support equipment. At the same time he said that Pakistan has shown the technological capabilities of producing highly sophisticated defence equipment fully embracing the concepts of modern technology.
Pakistan defence industry and participants from over 58 countries. More to this, he also noted that it provides a platform for some 80 percent small and medium enterprises of the country to display their defence support products and export the same to various markets.
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