Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Amid reports of India’s inclination towards the Unites States (US), the Senate’s Standing Committee on Defence Production has proposed to enhance defence cooperation with Russia.

In this connection, an in-camera meeting of the committee was held under the chairmanship of Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qayyum at the Parliament House on Tuesday.

Talking to newsmen after the meeting, Abdul Qayyum said, “After India’s tilt towards the US, Pakistan has the opportunity to enhance defence cooperation with Russia.

The committee, he said, discussed budget allocation and its utilisation for the defence production establishments (DPEs) during the year 2015-16. It was shared that the budget allocations were made to DPEs as per their demand, he maintained.

Abdul Qayyum said the committee discussed about the sale of JF-17 Thunder jets and Mushshak aircrafts to some other countries. “Pakistan will export 100 Mushshak aircrafts to Turkey within two years,” he added.

Giving details about the in-camera meeting, he said the forum was also briefed about the latest status of AWACS airplanes that were damaged during a terrorists attack at Kamra Airbase some years ago.

Besides discussing in detail the major achievements in defence indigenisation, he said the provinces would be asked to purchase arms, ammunition armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and bulletproof jackets for law enforcement agencies from domestic producers.

As the government, he said, had decided to introduce Rs 10 coins, the Pakistan Ordnance Factory (POF) could be assigned the job as it had an experience of producing Rs two coins.

He said the committee had asked the Defence Export Division to brief the panel in the next meeting about preparations for the Defence Expo, which would be held next month in Karachi.