ISLAMABAD: The private sector should be facilitated in participation in the defence industry in order to revitalise local production of military hardware, speakers at a seminar on the prospects of public-private collaboration in the defence industry said on Wednesday.

The seminar was hosted by Strategic Vision Institute and Pakistan Business Council.

An official of the Pakistan Ordinance Factories Naseem Raza said civilian industries should be supported in various functions including technical up-grading, marketing and human resource training and development.

He said the role of the private sector in the defence industry was currently peripheral and that much of what they are producing is low-tech material.

He said the relevant ministries have neglected the private sector due to the absence of a well-defined policy in this regard.

Mr Raza said the private sector should be encouraged in order to increase output and also to make production costeffective.

He said the public sector should become the technology provider and engage in designing and assembling of equipment whereas the private sector should be allowed to manufacture various parts.

An official of the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Kamra, Air Crd Dr Muiz Shami said manufacturing at PAC is concentrated in the public sector with very little involvement from the private sector.

He said PAC was determined to expand from manufacturing aviation products for armed forces to civilian use commercial products and services by involving academia, promoting research and development and developing local industries.

He also mentioned future plans for the creation of an aviation city and special economic zone in Kamra.

Dr Shami said PAC is already equipped with state-of-theart aircraft manufacturing hardware and has an established military maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility. He said PAC was looking into manufacturing jets in the future and venturing into commercial MRO for airbus and boeing jets.

Former secretary defence production retired Lt Gen Syed Mohammad Owais said the local industry has immense potential which could be exploited to produce state-of-theart equipment required by the defence sector.

He recounted how PAC had repaired a damaged SAAB 2000 surveillance aircraft locally at less than one tenth the cost. He said the manufacturer was initially reluctant to repair the aircraft because of the extent of damages, but later demanded US$300 million for the task. Local engineers then made the aircraft airworthy at a cost of US$ 26 million.