Karachi shipyard to be upgraded for fetching more global business: Senate body told

ISLAMABAD: A plan was afoot to upgrade the Karachi shipyard for fetching a large share of global business, the Senate Standing Committee on Defense Production was informed on Tuesday.

The committee, met here with Senator Lt. General (Retd)Abdul Qayyum in the chair, was informed that a plan for establishment of two more shipyards at strategically important locations was also under consideration.

The parliamentary body was also briefed about the progress made by the Ministry of Defense and Production (MoDP) on proposed restructuring of its division.

Secretary MoDP apprised the committee members about the government’s initiatives for the purpose.

He said two new executive departments had been set up to ensure marketing of indigenous technology, and promote partnerships with academia and the private sector.

He said different cells related to policy/planning, public-private interface, legal advice and technical coordination would soon be created within available human resource and budget.

A policy Board on ship building had been functionalised after the hiatus of 11 years.

The secretary said creation of a commercial company by the Heavy Industries Taxila to reduce dependence on Defense Budget and a Think Tank to brainstorm innovative ideas were underway.

The committee chairman underscored the importance of research and development in the defense production field to pave the way for innovation. “Funding and marketing efforts needs to be stepped up as well,” he added.

The MoDP official informed the committee that currently it faced zero financial issues.

A marketing professional to introduce indigenous technology beyond shores would be hired soon.

The committee stressed the need for consulting with Pakistani Diaspora leading similar technology hubs abroad for innovative ideas. This would introduce Pakistan to prevailing international market and industry trends.

The Defense Export Promotion Organization (DEPO)Director General briefed the committee members about the strategy formulated for effective involvement of private sector during the IDEAS, permanent status of DEPO and business plan to achieve self sufficiency.

He said the department was taking various measures to capture international markets.

Registration of private defense industry by DEPO for marketing and provision of Export Development Fund (EDF) subsidy were among the major initiatives.

Establishment and construction of Defense Expo Centers under DEPO in Karachi, Islamabad and Gwadar was being expedited as well, he added.

The committee Chairman underlined the need for preferring to reverse engineering, a strategy that had been successfully adapted by most of the countries.

The need for devoting five percent of profits to marketing activities was also emphasized.

A three-member Committee was formed to provide advice and guidance to MoDP on strategic affairs.