The National Assembly Standing Committee on Defence Production on Friday called upon the government to give financial autonomy to Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF), Wah, to make the organisation more vibrant for national defence.
The members of the standing committee, led by committee Chairman Sheikh Aftab Ahmed, visited the POF, Wah, where they were briefed about the production and performance of the factories.
National Assembly members Sher Muhammad Baloch, Azeem Daultana, Sahibzada Muhammad Fazl-e-Karim, Naseer Bhutta, Malik Nauman Ahmed Leghari, Fouzia Ejaz Khan, Muzaffarul Mulk, Tariq Mehmood Bajwa and Syed Akhundzada Chitan, were the members of the standing committee, who visited the POF. POF Chairman Lieutenant General Syed Sabahat Hussain and other officials briefed the NA committee.
Speaking on the occasion, Sheikh Aftab said that the parliamentarians fully endorsed the idea of giving complete autonomous status to the POF, which would further improve its performance. He appreciated the performance of the POF, particularly its role in making the country's defence impregnable through indigenous approach.
"We feel proud to know about the working and achievements of the POF," he added. He underscored the need for exploring markets to export surplus production of the POF by adopting a commercial approach. The committee, he said, would give a detailed briefing to President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani in a bid to remove the hurdles in defence production sector.
During the briefing, the POF Chairman said that the POF was not only meeting 100 percent requirements of Pakistan armed forces in terms of arms and ammunition but was also playing a vital role in strengthening the country's economy. He said the POF's exports had reached 60 million dollars per year and the aim was to enhance the same to 100 million dollars within a short period.
Giving details about future plans, he said a number of agreements for undertaking joint ventures with the leading companies of the world had been signed. He said the projects, to be undertaken by the POF, would be highly sophisticated and with their implementation, the POF would be joining the ranks of most modern arms factories in the world.