KARACHI: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said Pakistan was against an arms race in the region, however would pursue the motto of 'arms for peace'.

Addressing at the inauguration of four-day ninth International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) here, the Prime Minister said Pakistan was committed to discouraging arms race and promoting "the motto of arms for peace, which has always been the tagline of IDEAS".

The Prime Minister said Pakistan had achieved self-reliance in defence production and mentioned that IDEAS-2016 was a demonstration of collaboration of local and foreign technologies.

He said over 2,000 weapons system and equipment on display at the exhibition reflected broad-based participation of the country's public and private sector in defence production, supported by research and development.

The Prime Minister said the country's defence products were state-of-the-art and stood fully tested by its armed forces.

"Our defence products have made their mark in many countries of the world," he said, adding there still existed many opportunities for further growth and exploration of new markets.

He said Pakistan was fast emerging producer of quality defence products.

"The promise of today's Pakistan is brighter and reassuring than every before," he said.

-APP