Pak Military Comes Up with Desi iPad

Kamra: In what seems to be an extension of its military's business portfolio, the Pakistani military is working on the development and manufacture of a desi version of iPad, which is said to be a combination of Pakistani engineering and Chinese hardware. According to an AP report, the manufacturing process of PACPAD (the Pak version of iPad) is done at an air force base in Kamra in northern Pakistan where the avionics engineers at the base assemble the device when they are not working on any defense projects.

"The original is the iPad, the copy is the PACPAD," AP quotes Mohammad Imran, who stocks the product at his computer and cell phone shop in a mall in Rawalpindi. Karma is not very far from Rawalpindi, the military headquarters of the Pakistani Armed Forces.

The home grown version of iPad, build in a heavily secured military complex that witness the birth of fighter jets and highly sophisticated war weapons, is the latest addition to the weakening commercial empire of Pak military. Supporters strongly believe that PACPAC can strengthen the military’s controversial foothold in the consumer market and lift the troubled nation's self-esteem. The project adds up to the large business portfolio of Pakistan’s military establishment which includes flour and sugar mills, massive land holdings, hotels, travel agents and even a brand of breakfast cereal. The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) where the iPad copy is made also develops an e-reader and small laptop.