By Asghar Ali Mubarak
Ideas 2024, the global exhibition of defense equipment, will begin today at the Karachi Expo Center on November 19, in which Pakistan’s commitment to “weapons for peace” will be highlighted.
The 4-day exhibition will continue till November 22. The exhibition will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif.
The newest Tank Haider and Drone Shahpar will also be unveiled at the Pakistan Pavilion, while an Air Show at Nishan Pakistan Seaview will also be part of the exhibition on the last day, which will be organized for foreign dignitaries and the people of Karachi.
The main benefit of Ideas 2024 is that it increases Pakistan’s defense exports, which further strengthens the country’s economy.
In the 12th edition of the Defense Exhibition IDEAS, exhibitors from around the world will present their defense products and equipment; for the first time, Ukraine, Italy, and Iran will participate in the IDEAS exhibition
532 exhibitors and 350 foreign delegates from 38 countries will participate while 30 international speakers will address seminars related to defense industries.
15 international pavilions have also been set up in the exhibition. 52 thousand trade visitors will visit the exhibition. In Ideas, Pakistan showcases indigenously developed all-round war weapons.
In addition to the JF-17 Thunder designed for air combat, Mushaq, Super Mushaq and K-8 aircraft for training fighter pilots are also on display.
Pakistan has played an important role in maintaining the stability and balance of global peace and hosting ideas is a testament to our commitment to encourage technological development and exchange in the region.
Since its inception in the year 2000, the event has become an important step in defense diplomacy and a consistently large gathering of national and global defense industry.
IDEAS is now recognized worldwide, the Defense Exhibition promotes the exchange of modern technology in Pakistan and beyond. The IDEAS Exhibition, which has been running successfully for 25 years, is being held in Karachi from November 19 to November 22 this year. Keeping in view the interest of the public, a Karachi show will be organized for the citizens on November 21 in Seaview Nishan Pakistan.
Since its inception in the year 2000, the event has become a recognized and consistently large gathering of the national and global defense industry.
IDEAS is now globally recognized, and the latest technology in defense exhibition promotes knowledge exchange in Pakistan and beyond.
The first International Defense Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) was launched in the year 2000 and since then It has been held on a regular basis.
Karachi has once again been chosen to host the country’s largest defense exhibition and the 12th IDEAS is being held from November 19 to 22, becoming the largest defense equipment exhibition forum in the region.
The International Defense Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) was started for the first time in 2000 and since then it has been held on a regular basis.
IDEAS brings together local and foreign companies and dealers related to the arms industry to showcase their products and services.
There is an opportunity to highlight. Not only this, but there are also opportunities to discuss joint ventures, outsourcing and cooperation related to defense production.
IDEAS 2024 is being held at a time when new blocs are emerging in the world at the political, trade, and defense levels. This is the reason why defense spending is increasing rapidly in the world. America, China, India, the United Kingdom, and Russia are prominent among the increasing countries.
According to SIPRI, since last year, the expenses in the defense sector have increased once again in the world, the main reason of which is the mutual mistrust of the nations.
The situation is that the defense expenditure is increasing at the rate of 6.1% of the global GDP annually and 2.2% of the world’s total production is being spent on defense. Currently, America is not engaged in war anywhere in the world, but despite this.
The US military spent 801 billion dollars, or 3.5% of the US GDP, on defense alone. Most of the US spending is on defense research.
Experts say that the United States is working on new war technology. Russia is currently at war with Ukraine and because of this, its defense costs have increased, but the preparation of this war has reduced its budget to 65 billion 900 million increased to the dollar, which is 2.9 percent of the Russian GDP. In the continent of Asia, the defense spending of several countries has increased, with China at the top.
China has been pursuing a 5-year defense program since its establishment and is currently in the 14th plan, which will be completed in 2025.
Japan has increased its defense budget by 7 billion dollars to 54 billion dollars. The main reason for this increase is China because Japan is afraid of China’s emerging hegemony in the seas. Along with this, Australia’s military budget has also become 31 billion 80 million dollars.
Australia is getting eight nuclear submarines worth $128 billion from the United States to compete with China. The biggest defense spender in Central and Western Europe is Germany, which has spent $56 billion in 2021. Qatar’s defense spending has also increased, exceeding $11 billion. In terms of defense expenditure in the world, India ranks third with 76 billion 600 million dollars.
Its defense expenditure has increased by 33%. It is important to review this analysis of the increase in defense expenditure because if the defense expenditure is increasing rapidly in the world and every country is concerned about its own defense.
In this case, the defense exhibition ideas provide an opportunity to the countries of the region to see how they can get quality defense products at a very low cost without depending on the Western countries. This exhibition is considered to be the most important in defense diplomacy.
Ideas exhibition is a big and important opportunity for defense diplomacy. The exhibition also provides an opportunity to highlight Pakistan as a modern, developed, and peaceful co-existence state before the international community.
Artificial intelligence technology in the defense sector is a key change in the defense sector. Ministers, senior officials of the Ministry of Defense, institutions related to defense technology, people related to the teaching of this field, researchers, and defense analysts are participating in the seminar.
IDEAS was held for the first time in the year 2000 and since then the participation of domestic and foreign defense industry companies has been increasing in each exhibition.
The number of companies involved in the first Ideas was a little more than 100. Africa, America, Asian countries, Central Asian countries, Europe, and Middle Eastern countries actively participate in this exhibition.
Delegates participating in Ideas are prepared at the local level of the Pakistan Navy. Equipment is inspected at the Pakistan Navy Dockyard and Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works, where submarines are also manufactured in addition to small and medium-sized ships.
Apart from this, modern OPVs, missile boats, minesweepers, frigates, multipurpose warships, and other weapons are also manufactured, repaired, and maintained here.
Here the Western countries can also benefit from the facility of repair and upgrading at low cost. Many countries are interested in the indigenously developed Al-Khalid tank for the bad forces in Pakistan.
It should be remembered that it is considered the main battle tank as well as among the modern tanks of the world. For light warfare, apart from large weapons such as Al-Zarar, and armored Saad, the weapon system developed in POF, small arms, Ammunition, missiles, and missile refueling facilities will also be on display.
Re-life refers to making a missile reusable. Over time, the batteries and other equipment in the missile become unusable, which can be replaced to make the missile reusable, thus avoiding the need to replace the entire missile.
In the defense sector it is not enough to have weapons, but for this, enthusiasm, passion, discipline within the forces as well as proper handling of these weapons are most important. The land, naval, and air warfare training centers established by the Pakistan Armed Forces are considered to be among the best in the region. This is the reason why military officers of many friendly countries have reached the highest positions in their respective armed forces after being trained in Pakistan.
Pakistan Military Academy is the most famous for training bad forces in Pakistan. The training of senior officers of the armed forces is done in the Command and Staff College, Quetta. Apart from this, the National Defense University has been established for strategic training. A training center is established in Risalpur for the training of pilots, officers, and airmen of the Pakistan Air Force, while centers like PNS Himalaya, Navy War College, and Marine Diving Center are established in this century.
It also faces fighting within cities. This battle is completely different and difficult from the traditional war. Pakistan has achieved success in the war against terrorism in a short period of time and Pakistan is the only country in the history of the world which has eliminated internal disturbances. But the lesson learned from this war is that along with the external enemy, the preparation should be complete against the internal enemy as well.