Preparations for IDEAS 2022 in full swing at Expo Centre

KARACHI:

Preparations are in full swing for the four-day International Defense Exhibition and Seminar IDEAS- 2022 which will be held at the Expo Center from Nov 15 to 18.

More than 45 countries are participating in this year's IDEAS.

Halls No. 1 and 2 have been reserved for the exhibition of military hardware from the friendly country of Turkey.

Air Commodore Abdul Basit, Director of Export Promotion Services, said that IDEAS 2022 will also feature a special seminar on Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Besides six halls, three marquees have also been established on a wide area.

One marquee has been named 'Kashmir Hall', in which the opening and closing ceremony will be held.

IDEAS is an important event in South Asia, which has been organized by the Defense Export Promotion Organization regularly.

However, it could not be held in 2020 due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

This year's exhibition is being held after a four-year hiatus.

According to Air Commodore Basit, the defense exhibition's size has increased manifolds compared to yesteryear.

It has been expanded to accommodate more international participants.

He added that IDEAS 2022 became possible due to one and a half year of hard work and planning.

He said that the demonstration of Pakistan-made tanks will be held at the Expo Center, while the air show featuring units of Pakistani Armed Forces, including PAF, will be held on the Karachi beach.

According to Lt Commander Shabbir Ahmed, military hardware from Turkey will be displayed in Halls No 1 and 2, while Hall No 3 has been reserved for Chinese defence products, while Italy and France will exhibit their military hardware in Hall No 4. Halls No. 5 and 6 are reserved for defence equipment and technology of Pakistan and other countries.

Miscellaneous military equipment will be displayed in Halls No 7, 8 and 9 set up in the marquees.

IDEAS was started in 2000 and since then it has turned into an important event for promoting cooperation and exchange of information in defence sector for product manufacturers, research and development experts, financial experts and policymakers.

The exhibition plays an important role in strengthening Pakistan's strategic ties with the international community while contributing to achieving the common goals of global peace and stability.

Since 2000, all the exhibitions have been a huge success.

As many as 524 delegates from 45 countries participated in IDEAS 2018.