Nawaz Sharif inaugurates mega international defence expo

“This time 9 more countries are visiting and participating in IDEAS. These include Luxembourg, Denmark, Belarus, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Belgium, Romania and Nigeria,” a statement said.

Nawaz Sharif jointly inaugurated the exhibition, which is set to run from Nov 22-25, alongside outgoing Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif. “Pakistan’s ever growing defence industry is in quest for seeking international alliances to meet the requirements of its armed forces and growing needs of the regional defence forces,” a statement posted on the IDEAS website explains why it was held in Pakistan.

“Pakistan’s own defence products present a perfect mix of indigenous and foreign technologies thus offering an ideal platform for defence collaboration.”

Besides showcasing of products, there will be several high-level meetings among foreign delegates, key government officials and participants on the sidelines of the four-day IDEAS for forging alliances in defence production. An important international defence seminar will be held at a hotel on Nov 22.

Although Chinese and Turkish defence industries will have a significant presence, Russia is participating in the event this time in a big way.