IDEAS — The Journey

KARACHI: Fighting terrorists in the north and engaging with adversaries on both the eastern and western borders, Pakistan’s military has proven its might and military prowess; it is no surprise that over 400 companies from around the globe have set up shop at the 9th International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2016.

Thirty-four countries are showcasing their military and related products at IDEAS 2016 with 90 delegations visiting from 43 countries. The respective defence ministers, secretaries and senior officials are leading the visiting delegations.

Among the 418 companies showcasing their products are 261 international exhibiters including teams from nine countries that are participating for the very first time.

The first time exhibiters include Luxembourg, Denmark, Belarus, Poland, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Belgium, Nigeria and Romania while the returning exhibiters have also increased the number of teams showcasing their products.

Only one Russian exhibitor participated in the last IDEAS but three terms are showcasing their products this year including the state-controlled Russia Rosoboronexport which again reinforces that IDEAS has made its mark as one of the best platforms for defence suppliers in the region. 

IDEAS — The Journey

Conceived after the International Pakistan Naval Defence Show held in 1999, the first IDEAS was held in the year 2000 and subsequent IDEAS were organized biennially.

From just a little over 100 stalls from 25 countries showcasing their products in 2002, to over 400 stalls this year IDEAS has become known in industry circles as one of the best platforms for promoting defence systems and related products.

By 2004 when the third IDEAS was organized it played a key role in highlighting Pakistan’s indigenously manufactured defence products.

Continued growth was witnessed in 2006 and in 2008 when the spotlight of the international media focused on IDEAS as a prominent defence products platform in the region.

The biennial event was cancelled in 2010 in light of the floods that devastated much of Pakistan and the entire nation was busy playing its part to address the damage to life and property.

After a gap of four years when IDEAS 2012 was organized the response from exhibitors and delegations attending the exhibition was overwhelming. The four day event saw 30,000 visitors including 50 foreign delegations with 24 high level delegations led by their respective defence ministers.

In 2014 the response continued to grow with 88 delegations attending, over 330 exhibitors showcasing their products and many countries displaying their products for the very first time to take advantage of the diverse mix of buyers attending the IDEAS expo. 

With over 400 companies from 34 countries including 157 Pakistani showcasing their products at the IDEAS 2016 is the biggest defence exhibition so far and it is expected that multi-million dollar MOUs will be inked during the exhibition. According to one independent defence analysis group Turkey is expected to ink an MOU "which will likely cover the PAC MFI-395 Super Mushshak". Earlier this year the Ministry of Defence Production had announced it had won a tender to provide 52 basic trainers to Turkey, which according to Quwa will be the single largest export order for PAC.