‘War is not an option’
Pakistan President Dr. Arif Alvi inaugurated the 10th edition of the country’s biggest defense equipment exhibition at the Karachi Expo Center on Tuesday.
Ali told the International Defense Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) that “war is not an option” during his inauguration ceremony address.
“Wars cause only destruction, brings hunger, lack of nutrition and misery,” the president said. “Pakistan is a peaceful country and we want to resolved disputes through dialogue.”
“Pakistan (has) kept producing equipment for the county’s defense despite adverse conditions, and now Pakistan is a proud manufacturer of the JF-17 Thunder and Mushshak aircraft,” Alvi said.
But “our weapons are for peaceful purposes and for defense not for offense,” he said. “We have a deterrent to ensure that nobody looks at Pakistan with evil intention.”
He said that Pakistan’s defense industry had reached the threshold of quality and reliability that meant its products were competing in the international defense market. To further excel in this domain there was a need for academia-industry interface and integration of the public-private defense industry as well as the involvement of R&D organizations in the defense manufacturing sector.
In Naya (new) Pakistan the government was working hard to secure the economy and offer a suitable environment to investors, he said, adding that “Pakistan is the most beautiful country and best destination for business.”
Alvi called for ensuring the country’s food and economic security. “Security could not be guaranteed unless a country is economically sound and this is the prime responsibility of the government to ensure that Pakistan is a stable economy,” he said.
Alvi also talked about the core regional issue of Kashmir and urged India to “come to the negotiating table to discuss regional issues instead of staying away.”
“Pakistan looks forward to resolution of all disputes in a peaceful manner and nations should keep in mind that they cannot oppress people for long.”
The president said that despite hosting 3.5 million Afghan refugees, the world had forgotten about the contribution of Pakistan.
Federal Minister for Defense Production Zobaida Jalal told the gathering that Pakistan had the potential to emerge as a global platform for defense research, scientific growth, manufacturing and joint ventures to strengthen defense capabilities and spur developments as well as exports in the sector.