KARACHI: Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir has visited the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS-2024) in Karachi where exhibitors from different countries are displaying innovative defence equipment, the military media wing said in a statement on Wednesday.
During the visit, the COAS commended the active participation of defence manufacturers from friendly nations and observed an impressive display of arms and equipment by both domestic and international exhibitors at the Karachi Expo Centre, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a press release.
A total of 557 exhibitors are participating in the exhibition of which 333 are international exhibitors while 224 are domestic exhibitors. Thirty-six countries established exhibitors’ stalls of which 17 countries are participating for the first time.
Over 300 foreign delegates from 53 countries attended the event and showed full confidence in the exhibition and the defence industry of Pakistan.
“During the exhibition, COAS also engaged in meaningful interactions with foreign military officials and defence delegates present at the event,” ISPR stated.
A significant highlight of the occasion was the inauguration of the Shahpar-III, a state-of-the-art combat Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) developed by Global Industrial Defence Solutions (GIDS) Pakistan, ISPR stated.
“The Shahpar-III boasts advanced capabilities, including an operational ceiling of 35,000 feet and an endurance of over 24 hours. It is equipped to carry a wide range of munitions, including bombs, missiles, and torpedoes,” ISPR said.
12th Edition of IDEAS-2024 commenced on 19th November and will culminate on 22nd November 2024.
The international defence expo is biennially organized by the Defence Export Promotion Organization (DEPO) in Pakistan. Since its inception in the year 2000, IDEAS has emerged as an international rendezvous for defence manufacturers, entrepreneurs, defence specialists, financial experts and top-level policymakers to promote cooperation, knowledge sharing and support ventures in the field of defence collaboration.
IDEAS-2024 has surpassed all previous milestones in terms of space, booking, exhibitors and delegates both domestic and foreign. Exhibitors from Turkey, China, Iran, the UK, North America, South America, Europe, Asia and other regions are participating in the mega defence exhibition.
