By Akhtar Jamal
A four-day most prestigious defence exhibition named as IDEAS-2014 will open on December 1, 2014 in Pakistan and dozens of top armed forces, navy and air forces officials and senior dignitaries are expected to attend the Exhibition at Karachi Expo Centre.
Necessary security measures have been taken at the highest federal and provincial level this week in Karachi to provide safe and secure environment during the 8th International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) which opens on December 1, 2014 and continue until December 4, 2014.
Pakistan’s senior most defence official, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Rashad Mahmood is expected to grace the opening day ceremony. It was not clear if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would also attend the inaugural ceremony.
The IDEAS 2014, being the most strategically important event of the region, will once again bring together all the industry’s players across the globe to showcase the latest technological innovations. The 4 days of the Show are exclusively for trade visitors and high official defence delegates.
Asia being the most volatile geopolitical region is also the largest markets for Defence Products. The growing defence budget of India and its quest to acquire armaments worth more than 12 billion dollars in recent years is also posing a serious challenges to other neighboring countries.
In a bid to effectively meet the new challenge posed by the transformed regional and global security dynamics, the Asia as well as governments of the neighboring continent of Africa allocates significant budgets for modernization and up-gradation programs for their armed forces.
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Rashad Mahmood is expected to deliver a key note speech on “Security Outlook: National Security and Defense Transformation”
Pakistan Air Force Chief is expected on the subject of “Aerospace warfare and COIN Strategy” while Pakistan Naval Chief will address the issue of “Pakistan Navy’s role and Regional Cooperation.”
Top leadership of Pakistan Armed Forces is also expected to offer presentation on the challenges faced by the Land Forces.
More than 200 companies from 23 countries, more than eighty delegates from more than forty five countries are participating in the IDEAS 2014 while more than 35,000 people are expected to visit the exhibition this year.
Last time IDEAS–2012 was held in November 2012, at Expo Center, Karachi after a gap of four years but proved to be highly successful and beneficial.
IDEAS 2014 is sponsored and organized by the Government of Pakistan and sponsored by Defence Export Promotion Organization (DEPO), Pakistan Armed Forces, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and managed by Badar Expo Solutions.
DEPO has been playing the key role in making extraordinary efforts make the Defence Exhibition highly successful.
