ISLAMABAD, July 9: Pakistan has decided to enter into joint ventures with China, Ukraine and Turkey to further increase its quality defence production. Informed sources told Dawn here on Saturday that Pakistan had reached an initial understanding with the three countries to start joint production of different kinds of weapons.

Pakistan was looking for credible defence partners not only to further strengthen its military capabilities but also to boost its exports.

Currently, the sources said, Pakistan was exporting quality arms and ammunitions to around 50 countries, including the developed countries like the United States, Germany and New Zealand.

In this regard, the Pakistan Ordinance Factories (POF), Wah, was taking a lead to significantly enhance its exports. It has successfully exported arms and ammunitions worth $54 million during 2004-05. In some cases, the POF worked round-the-clock to meet defence orders given by a number of countries.

At the same time, the sources said, greater commercialization was taking place in the POF to fulfil demands of different local industries, including textiles for manufacturing its important components. The purpose was to save precious foreign exchange currently being spent on the import of equipment by textiles and other manufacturing industries of the country.

POF chairman Maj-Gen Muhammad Javed said on being contacted that his organization was currently exploring possibilities to start cooperation in defence production with China, Ukraine and Turkey. In this behalf, he said, he would soon be visiting Turkey and Ukraine.

The POF, he said, had developed vast engineering capacity to support the country’s industrial sector by manufacturing the required equipment and parts which were currently being imported.

“Since we enjoy a competitive edge over many countries and have been producing arms and ammunitions matching NATO standards, we are not short of orders,” the chairman of POF said.

Moreover, he added, Pakistan was selling its defence equipment at competitive prices which was why many countries preferred its products.

The year 2004-05 proved to be a record year when defence exports earned for Pakistan $54 million, the highest ever, he said.

“Then due to our commercial efforts, the POF earned Rs2 billion more during the last financial year,” he said, adding that there had been about 60 per cent optimum utilization of machines and manpower.

The POF, he pointed out, had additional Rs5-6 billion lying with the central bank which could be utilized for upgradation through purchase of material with a view to achieving enhanced industrial output.

Responding to a question, he said that POF’s 14 factories were accorded the ISO 9001 certification by Moody’s International. The POF, he pointed out, would be the first industrial group in Asia to have all international standard certifications.

“We have already got the three certifications and will get a fourth one in September and this is no small achievement,” Maj-Gen Muhammad Javed said.