Army Chief, Information Minister and Governor Sindh attended SASSI Defence Conference

Karachi : The Chief of Pakistan Army Staff Gen. Raheel Sharif was the chief guest of the Sideline Conference (Industry Summit) organized by South Asian Strategic Stability Institute, here at the Karachi Marriott Hotel.

He spoke during the inaugural session, beginning his address by saying that he is pleased to see IDEAS 2014 succeed. The COA said that security does not only refer to external threats but is a concern in terms of politics, human rights, economy, water security, terrorism and insurgency.

He also highlighted the Palestine and Kashmir Issue and said that there must be conflict resolution in these areas. The chief said that security cannot be achieved by securing borders alone, but also by protecting ways of life, culture, ideas and sensitivities.

The Chief said that Pakistan’s current enemy ‘lives within us and looks like us’ and also that the definition of the term security has transformed with the passage of time and has become renown in recently. He also said that due to increased polarization, governments are unable to protect their people and national security.
He further said, “Trends of globalization and regionalism will effect in terms of security and bring instability, as conflict is interest and value based today and also that act and focus of war has become difficult to define.”

He also said, “In contemporary geopolitics, the battles are no longer between state and non-state actors but are with supra-individuals, those individuals who exploit both the national and international space for their desired objectives. These supra-individuals have the capacity to manipulate networks, organizations and state institutions to create waves of instability and create discord at the center of the state institutions. Explosions are still a viable tool of war, but implosions are the new defeat mechanisms.”

The event was also attended by Pervaiz A Rasheed, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, during his address he said that the ‘Defense Industry is one of the most significant industries worldwide. With new and emerging threats and trends in terrorism, defense transformation is taking place. Now war is not limited to the battle field only but it includes latest trends like cyber warfare, kinetic warfare etc. to deal with the emerging threats, new methods, technology and ideas need to be produced at the same pace as that of the emergence of new threats’

The Federal Minister appreciated the armed forces, security agencies, police and public servants for their resolute fight against terrorism. He said ‘We are eternally grateful to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, while defending us and our values’. We are going through defining moments of our history. Our courageous armed forces are combating and eradicating the menace of extremism and terrorism from our soil. In the process, they are making tremendous sacrifices of which the entire nation is proud. The only message that my country wants to iterate is that Pakistan desires peace and tranquillity both within and outside its borders.

Dr. Ishrat ul Ibad, Governor, Government of Sindh, Islamic republic of Pakistan spoke during the Special Session: Security Outlook 2025 and Future of Defense Production saying that ‘ Pakistan is currently passing through a very decisive moment and if it would not be wrong to say that we are fighting the war of survival. The threats to our security are multidimensional and very complex. The traditional threat from India is still very much alive and the recent aggressive posture from the hardliner Indian government should be a great concern for our security. But the imminent and greatest challenge we face today is the terrorism that has seriously jeopardize the internal security. This has multiple dimensions, both internal and external. The menace of terrorism has caused a huge loss to not only precious lives of Pakistani people but also in terms of socio-economic losses as well therefore, the first and foremost priority of government is to neutralize this threat’.

The chief minister concluded his address by saying that currently the problems Pakistan is facing are rigorous but I am very optimistic about the future of this great nation. He added ‘Pakistan has come a long way since its independence. What we have achieved, despite formidable internal and external challenges, is a testimony to the enormous strength and resilience of our people’.

Dr. Maria Sultan, DG SASSI, also gave the welcome address in the inauguration session saying that, “The rapid development trends of globalization, including increased trade relations between countries and regions, have essentially reconfigured the defense industrial sector with international collaborative linkages edging out erstwhile stand alone national defense industries. The emergence of new consumer market and industrial production capabilities, and facilities, has ushered in a new era necessitating the creation of sustainable joint collaborative projects and meeting the ever dynamic need of the Defense section with changing land scope of National security.”

The conference was divided into three sessions. The first one was titled National Security: Terrorism and Counter Terrorism Challenges and was chaired by Lt.Gen Sikander Afzal, The second one was Land Forces: Smart Defence in Warfare, and the third session was titled Security Outlook 2025 and Future of Defense production, Pakistan.

Lt. Gen Mohammad Ahsan Mahmood, Chairman Pakistan Ordinance Factories Board, POF also gave a commendable speech and said; “Pakistan’s defence industry is diverse and is developed by Government funding, which is acting like a force behind the forces for Pakistan.”

Syed Naseem Raza, Pakistan Ordinance Factories Board (POF) gave a speech on POF Vision 2025. He said, “We have been able to reinvent our mechanism by becoming self-sufficient and we want to diminish our dependence on government through public-private partnership.”

Lt Gen (R) Khalid Rabbani Former Corp Commander 11 Corps, Pakistan Army gave a speech on Dynamics of internal security situation in FATA will special reference to border control mechanism and Operation Zarb-e-Azb. He said, “The army has been successful in clearing North Waziristan through indiscriminate operation against the terrorists and the backlash so far has been negligible.”

Dae Hwan Kim, Poongsan said, “Korea and Pakistan have common security perceptions, thus industries from both countries need to develop joint ventures in defence industry.”

Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar, Corp Commander 5 Corps, Pakistan Army, talked about Urban Terrorism: Case study of Karachi. He said, “The law and order problem in Karachi is political in nature and thus require political solutions.”

Lt.Gen Syed Wajid Hussain, Chairman Heavy Industries Taxila, Pakistan emphasized the Role and Importance of Mechanized Forces and HIT Support to Pakistan Army. During his speech he discussed training procedures should be systematic, logical and cost effective.

Brig Sajid Mehmood, Director Technical, Heavy Industries Taxila talked about Al-Khalid, Security Vehicle Dragoon and Armed personnel carrier SAAD. He discussed the technical specifications of HIT products and referred to AL-Khalid Tank as ‘the pride of Pakistan’ based on its superior technology making it a main battle tank of Pakistan Army.