Reema Shaukat
WORLD Economic Forum is considered as a platform where world leaders present their ideas and share with rest of world some innovative thoughts too. Recently our Prime Minister Imran Khan also paid a visit to World Economic Forum for their annual meeting held on 21-24 January 2020. The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters was considered as the foremost creative force for engaging the world’s top leaders in collaborative activities to shape the global, regional and industry agendas at the beginning of each year. This year it brought together near to 3,000 participants from around the world, with an aim to give concrete meaning to “stakeholder capitalism”, assist governments and international institutions in tracking progress towards the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, and facilitate discussions on technology and trade governance.
According to Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman at World Economic Forum, “People are revolting against the economic ‘elites’ they believe have betrayed them, and our efforts to keep global warming limited to 1.5°C are falling dangerously short. With the world at such critical crossroads, this year we must develop a ‘Davos Manifesto 2020’ to reimagine the purpose and scorecards for companies and governments. It is what the World Economic Forum was founded for 50 years ago, and it is what we want to contribute to for the next 50 years.” Forum’s first meeting in 1971 was established to further the idea put forward by Professor Klaus Schwab that business should serve all stakeholders, customers, employees, communities, as well as shareholders. It was reaffirmed in 1973 in the “Davos Manifesto,” a document that has shaped the work of the Forum ever since.
In his visit to Davos, Pakistan’s PM presented the overview of steps initiated for climate change, better governance and other economic measures as the agenda of WEF suggested that every leader must share with world the initiatives of respective governments. PM Imran Khan highlighted the focus of Pakistan on economic diplomacy and how it revolves around in pursuing negotiations for peaceful and security purpose. He said that Pakistan is on the path to economic growth and will not be a part of any future conflict because peace and stability are vital for prosperity. Talking about emerging crisis between Iran and USA he mentioned that Pakistan is trying hard to defuse tension between United States and Iran and is playing a crucial role in Afghan peace process too. He added that peaceful solution to Afghanistan is necessary and will benefit all.
He further said that Pakistan seeks better relations with neighbouring countries. He emphasised that the strategic location and geopolitical importance of Pakistan is such that it will further add great benefit to the regional and global trade if peace in South Asia is ensured. He said that with peace in Afghanistan, Pakistan can tap the benefits of energy-rich Central Asia besides acting as a bridge between East and West Asia. Referring to Pakistan’s relations with its neighbours, he said with the normalisation of relations with the biggest neighbour India, development and prosperity can be achieved. He added that the biggest challenge for his government is to bring reforms in state institutions to improve governance and work is being undertaken in this regard. He suggested that the youth forms major part of populace in any country and if addressed well alone this factor can play a key role in economic development.
While talking about Pakistan’s restoration of soft image to rest of the world he stressed that the religious and historical tourism is now priority of Pakistan and that’s the reason international fora’s declared Pakistan as the safest country to travel. He categorically mentioned that in addition to promoting tourism, the Pakistani Government is gearing up efforts to the major focus on strengthening industries for agricultural productivity. Referring to the steps taken by his government to cope with the challenge of climate change, PM said that after coming into power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in 2013, his party embarked on planting one billion trees in the province to stop the adverse impact of global warming and succeeded in this venture. “After I became the Prime Minister in 2018, we resolved to plant 10 billion trees in Pakistan to make the country greener. This is now our objective and we are using the same experience we learned in KP. We are especially involving women as they are very good at planting nurseries. Forestation is crucial because not only is Pakistan vulnerable to global warming but because pollution has become a silent killer in cities across the country,”
PM Imran Khan who calls himself as Ambassador of Kashmir to rest of the world also talked about atrocities in the IoK and how India has annexed Kashmir after 05 August. He also mentioned how India has made things from bad to worse and the present situation within India and Kashmir is going to be disastrous for the world if not addressed timely. Certainly, presence of PM at such august gatherings and forums provide an opportunity to portray positive image to rest of world and share Pakistan’s vision and achievements. Though many often criticize about the expenses brought on during such trips but compared to cost of expenditures by previous governments and successfully presenting stance of Pakistan matters more than hue and cry of foes. These platforms provide an opportunity to learn and adopt models for better development apart from enhancement of cordial ties with other states.
— The writer works for Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, a think-tank based in Islamabad.
