# Ministry of Defence Production (Pakistan)

The Ministry of Defence Production (Urdu: وزارت دفاعی پيداوار; Trans.: Wazarat-e-Defai Padawar) abbreviated as MoDP, is an executive ministry of the federal Government of Pakistan with objectives of development and production of ordnance and machinery for the Pakistan Armed Forces.
Established as a separate ministry from its parent agency, Ministry of Defence in 2004, the MoDP oversees the development of conventional military weapons system through its separately funded organizations.

## Organizational structure

The Ministry of Defence Production is headed by Minister of Defence Production who is an elected member of parliament. The minister of defense production is assisted by the secretary of defense production—a usually a military officer. The MoDP is located in the vicinity of Ministry of Defense in Rawalpindi.
The ministry's bureaucracy is split into three wings, administration, projects, and foreign collaboration, each overseen by an assistant secretary.

## History

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) established the "Directorate for General Supply and Development (DG&D) in 1947; it was reorganized as "Defense Purchase Directorate" in 1953.$^{:9–10}$
After the war with India in 1965, the MoD took initiatives to increase domestic production of ordnance for the Pakistani military, and the "Defence Production Division" was established in 1972.$^{:110}$ Between 1970s–80, the assistance provided by China, France and Sweden, the MoD was able to established the Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) for army, Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) for the air force, and expanded the work scope of the Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works for the navy.$^{:110–115}$
In a view of export control of weapon designs and ammunition's production in 2004, the Division was separated from the MoD and was established as "Ministry of Defence Production."

## Development agencies

The Ministry of Defence Productions owns and sponsors five major organizations that includes Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT), Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KSEW), Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF), and National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC); though the corporate leadership is provided by the Pakistani military.
The Research and Development Establishment (RDE) is a research and development (R&D) administration within the MoDP created in 2020 after merging three research installations – the Institute of Optronics (IOP), Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and Military Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (MVRDE) dedicated for weapons development for the military.
Defence Export Promotion Organization (DEPO), Directorate General Munition Production and Directorate General Defence Purchase are other three major agencies that oversee the national security related technological development and export control of its designs and products within MoDP.

## Sponsorships

The MoDP is the official sponsor of International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) through its agency, the Defence Export Promotion Organization, since 2002. The IDEAS conference is held in Karachi Expo Centre biennially.

## List of ministers of Defence Production

| No. | Federal ministers | Term | Term | Political party | Prime Minister |
| No. | Federal ministers | Took office | Left office | Political party | Prime Minister |
| 1. | Maj. Habibullah Warraich | 2 September 2004 | 15 November 2007 | PML-Q | Shaukat Aziz |
| - | Salim Abbas Jilani (Caretaker) | 17 November 2007 | 30 March 2008 | Independent | Mohammad Soomro' |
| 2. | Tanveer Hussain | 31 March 2008 | 13 May 2008 | PML N | Yousaf Raza Gillani |
| 3. | A.Q. Khan Jatoi | 3 November 2008 | 3 October 2010 | PPP | Yousaf Raza Gillani |
| 4. | Makhdoom Shahabuddin | 14 December 2010 | 11 February 2011 | PPP | Yousaf Raza Gillani |
| 5. | Pervaiz Elahi | 3 May 2011 | 19 June 2012 | PML-Q | Yousaf Raza Gillani |
| 5. | Pervaiz Elahi | 22 June 2012 | 24 June 2012 | PML-Q | Pervaiz Ashraf |
| 6. | Bahadur Khan | 26 June 2012 | 16 March 2013 | PPP | Pervaiz Ashraf |
| 7. | Tanveer Hussain | 8 June 2013 | 3 May 2018 | PML N | Nawaz Sharif |
| 8. | Usman Ibrahim | 4 May 2018 | 31 May 2018 | PML N | Nawaz Sharif |
| - | Naeem Khalid Lodhi (Caretaker) | 27 June 2018 | 16 August 2018 | Caretaker | Nasirul Mulk |
| 9. | Zubaida Jalal | 20 August 2018 | 10 April 2022 | PML-Q | Imran Khan |
| 10. | Israr Tareen | April 2022 | 10 August 2023 | Balochistan Awami Party | Shehbaz Sharif |
| 11. | Anwar Ali Haider | 17 August 2023 | till date | Caretaker | Anwarul Haq Kakar |