IDEAS 2024 opens at Karachi Expo Centre

KARACHI: The 12th International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS 2024) opened at the Karachi Expo Centre on Tuesday.

The event was inaugurated by Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and will run until Friday, November 22.

The mega regional exhibition has drawn over 350 high-level delegations from 55 countries, along with numerous trade visitors. Organised biennially by the Defence Export Promotion Organisation (DEPO), IDEAS has become a prominent platform for showcasing advancements in defence technology.

Since its launch in 2000, the event has served as a global meeting point for defence manufacturers, entrepreneurs, researchers, financial experts, and policymakers, fostering collaboration and innovation in defence and security sectors.

It brings together the global defence industry for synergistic businesses and cooperation.

In his inaugural address, the federal minister said that today, Pakistan offered enormous opportunities for profitable investments, joint ventures and trade in all sectors including the defence industry.

He said that IDEAS served as a regional gateway for international manufacturers and suppliers to explore new avenues of defence cooperation through joint ventures, outsourcing and collaboration.

Asif said technologies were playing a vital role in confronting modern-day security challenges and their responsible use can make the world a better and safer place.

Pakistan, being a responsible state, is always committed to playing its role in international peace, stability, and order, he said.

"Reciprocity, mutual interests and international norms are the guiding principles that govern Pakistan’s relations at the bilateral and multilateral levels."

He said that the government always believed in meaningful dialogue on the basis of equality not only to resolve bilateral issues but also to give a chance for peace and harmony in the region.

"At our end, we in collaboration with our partners are steadfast to this unflinching commitment for peace and stability in the world," he said.

Asif said that Pakistan’s defence industry has now reached the threshold of quality and reliability, wherein, its products are competing in the international defence market.

However, to further excel in this domain there is a need for an academia-industry interface, integration of the public-private defence industry, and involvement of R&D organisations in the defence manufacturing sector of Pakistan.

The minister further said Pakistan has the potential to emerge as a global platform for defence research, scientific growth, manufacturing and joint ventures, to strengthen our defence capabilities and spur developments as well as exports in this sector.

IDEAS 2024 has surpassed all previous milestones in terms of space, booking, exhibitors and delegates both domestic and foreign.

Karachi Expo Centre has been booked to its full capacity with more than 560 defence equipment exhibitors from 41 countries participating including exhibitors from Turkey, China, Iran, the UK, North America, South America, Europe, Asia and the Far East out of which 55% are international and 45% local.