IDEAS 2018: Our weapons are for defence, says President Alvi

KARACHI - President Arif Aliv while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the 10th International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2018 in Karachi on Monday said that weapons possessed by Pakistan are for defence of the country.

The president also congratulated the administration for holding the exhibition. The four-day event, at the Expo Centre in Karachi, is exclusively for trade visitors and official defence delegates.

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwar, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and other military and civilian leaders were present on the occasion.

Appreciating Pakistan Army’s role in the war against terrorism, Alvi said: “Our forces are most experienced in dealing with terrorism”.

“We are proud of our martyrs,” he said, adding that every step will be taken to ensure the defense of the country.

He said that Pakistan suffered huge losses owing to terrorism and now it is on the course to emerge as Naya Pakistan.

“We are taking measures to drive the country of economic crisis,” the President said, besides highlighting the significance of country’s geographic location in the region.

He asserted that weapons possessed by Pakistan are for its defense, adding that Pakistan is a peaceful country.

Talking about Kashmir issue, Alvi said that India cannot deprived Kashmiris from their right by using force. India will have to turn to dialogues to settle the issues.

“Our peace-loving efforts should not be mistaken with weakness,” he said, adding that the sole way to settle the regional issues is dialogues.

Rear Admiral (Pilot) Sheikh Saeed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, Commander of the #UAE Naval Forces, attends the inauguration of International Defence Exhibition (IDEAS 2018) in #Karachi city of #Sindh province in presence of H.E. @ArifAlvi President of the Islamic Republic of #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/aENkGoueV1

— UAE Embassy PK (@uaeembassyisb) November 27, 2018

The IDEAS 2018 will showcase a number of activities encompassing world’s advanced defence technology demonstrations, an international seminar, three conferences by Pakistan Armed Forces, IDEAS Karachi Show, counter-terrorism demo, networking, and business expansions through business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) engagements.

https://twitter.com/PDCMDOfficial/status/1067118091430240257

The exhibition will be attended by 262 high-level delegations from 52 countries, according to officials of the Defence Export Promotion Organization (DEPO).

China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Jordon, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, UAE, Ukraine, and the United States are establishing more than 520 stalls at the expo.

'Arms for Peace'

Another significance of IDEAS 2018 is the holding of exclusive land, maritime and aviation conferences by Pakistan Army, Navy and Air Force respectively. The conferences will be hosted by the respective service chiefs.

In order to specially mark the 10th edition of IDEAS 2018, the Ministry of Pakistan Postal Services would issue a commemorative postal stamp of Rs10. These tickets will be available for sale from November 27 at major post offices. In addition, two Russian Naval Ships are also visiting Pakistan for port call during the exhibition.

Performance of Pakistan Army 'Quick Reaction Force - QRF' during #IDEAS2018. pic.twitter.com/zSd5oPeIc2

— Pak Defence (@pak_def) November 26, 2018

New inventions of Pakistan’s defence industry through Pakistan Ordnance Factories, Global Industrial Solutions, Military Vehicles Research and Development Establishment, Shibli Electronics, Universal Smart Military Systems and Daudson Armoury will also be inaugurated and showcased during the exhibition.

Moreover, IDEAS Karachi Show has been planned especially for the people of Karachi on November 29 at Nishan e Pakistan, Sea View. In addition, November 30 has exclusively been reserved for public visits.

Over 300 traffic policemen will be deployed during the expo, according to a plan by Sindh Police. University Road will be open for traffic throughout the four-day exhibition.

The traffic police have issued a traffic plan for the 10th International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2018 set to begin in Karachi on November 27.#sindhpolicedmc #IDEAS2018 #TrafficAlert pic.twitter.com/PBc605agiF

— Sindh Police (@sindhpolicedmc8) November 26, 2018

However, traffic from Hassan Square to the National Stadium will be closed from 7am on November 27. The roads from Dalmia to Karsaz and New Town will remain open but the Hassan Square Flyover will be closed.

Heavy traffic will not be allowed to use the road from Nipa to Millennium Mall and Karsaz to Hassan Square.

Parking around the Expo Centre is not allowed and residents of the area will only be allowed to enter by showing their national identity cards.

PIA is proud to be the official travel partner for IDEAS 2018, the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar.#PIA #Ideas2018 #TravelPartners pic.twitter.com/ficwb8NrlH

— PIA (@Official_PIA) November 26, 2018

The national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airline (PIA) is the official travel partner for IDEAS 2018.