A delegation of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) led by Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President visited the Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) and held a meeting with Lt. Gen. Syed Tahir Hameed Shah, Chairman POF to explore business opportunities for the private sector in the defense industry.

Lt. Gen. Syed Tahir Hameed Shah, Chairman, POF briefed the ICCI delegation about the role of Pakistan Ordnance Factories, which is the country's premier defense production organization. He said that besides meeting the defense needs of the country, POF exports its products to several countries around the world. He said that POF imports many parts and equipment to produce its finished products and said that POF would welcome local vendors who can supply it with parts and equipment according to the required standards. He said that POF is the largest defense industrial complex comprising 14 ordnance factories and three commercial subsidiaries. He said that the surplus products of POF are sold in the civil market and the standards of POF products are not less than any international company. He said that good care is taken in maintaining the standards of all products of POF and its subsidiaries. He said that the business community should explore prospects of joint ventures in various projects of defense industries operating under the umbrella of POF.

Speaking on the occasion, Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) lauded the role of POF in making the defense of the country stronger. He said that POF is playing a key role in moving towards self-sufficiency and in meeting the growing demands of our defense sector and civilian security agencies, which is a source of pride for us. He lauded the efforts of POF for capturing foreign markets by improving its efficiency, adopting quality financial management practices, and digitizing its processes to transform itself into a self-sustainable and progressive defense-industrial complex. He assured that the business community is ready to provide all possible support and cooperation to POF in its objectives and goals. He said that the ICCI has established a display center on its premises and is ready to provide space in that facility to POF for displaying its products. He discussed the prospects of private sector collaboration with POF on a public-private partnership basis.

Zafar Bakhtawari former President and Secretary General UBG Pakistan said that defense exports are not only an important source of earning foreign exchange, but they also help in improving Pakistan’s relations with other countries. He stressed that Pakistan should focus on SAARC, ECO and D-8 countries for promoting defense exports.

Maqsood Tabish, Sheikh Muhammad Ejaz, Ch. Muhammad Ali, Faseeh Ullah Khan, Ameer Hamza, Khalid Chaudhry, Saif ur Rehman Khan, Ms. Fatima Hassan, and others were in the delegation.