FM Bilawal inaugurates 11th IDEAS expo.

KARACHI -- Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari inaugurated the 11th edition of the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar 2022 (IDEAS 2022) at the Expo Centre in Karachi on Tuesday.

Federal Minister for Defence Production Muhammad Israr Tareen, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and senior civil and military officials attended the inaugural ceremony.

The exhibition will continue till Friday and 300 exhibitors from 32 countries will display their latest and innovative products, whereas over 500 national and international delegates are taking part in the exhibition. High-level defence delegations of friendly countries are also participating in the IDEAS-2022.

Apart from the six halls of the Expo Centre, three marquees have also been set up, one of which has been named after Kashmir.

A Karachi Show will also be held on Thursday at Nishan-e-Pakistan on the beach for citizens.

In his address, the foreign minister stated that Pakistan's defence industry has achieved a good level of quality and reliability as its products were 'comfortably competing' in the international market.

He maintained that though Pakistan was exporting high-tech defence products to more than 60 countries, the volume of exports was not commensurate to the country's actual potential, which was caused by the limited involvement of the private sector and lack of attention to academia interface.

'In order to achieve this goal I will stress the integration of the private and public sectors to achieve maximum results,' he said.

The foreign minister stated that the incumbent government will continue to promote a business-friendly environment for investments in human capital and professional development and that the government was committed to delivering an industrial strategy that enhanced employment. He urged small and medium industries to 'join hands' with the defence industries.

'When we talk about the defence industry, IDEAS is an iconic platform for showcasing the latest defence technologies, and is a regional gateway for international suppliers and manufacturers to explore new avenues of defence cooperation through joint ventures, outsourcing and collaborations,' the FM said.

He furthered that new technology led by a revolution in the field of Artificial Intelligence, was playing a 'vital role in confronting various security challenges' and that the 'responsible use of technology advancement could make the world a better and safer place'.

'Pakistan being a...