PM to visit Davos for WEF meeting

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar will undertake a four-day visit to Switzerland next week, where he will participate in the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) at the Swiss tourist resort of Davos. This visit is expected to provide a crucial platform to focus on the fundamental principles driving trust, including transparency, consistency, and accountability. The WEF offers the best opportunity to attract international investment.

While there has been no official announcement regarding the visit, sources informed The News on Monday that the prime minister is scheduled to depart for Zurich next Sunday (January 14), and the forum will commence on the 15th and continue until the 19th of this month.

This will be the first WEF taking place since the establishment of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) in Pakistan, which acts as a “single window” to facilitate investors, establish cooperation among all government departments, and fast-track project development.

The SIFC, created in June last year, aims to shorten lengthy business processes through a collaborative approach with the representation of all stakeholders.

During the Devos forum, Prime Minister Kakar is expected to have several meetings and will brief his interlocutors on Pakistan’s untapped potential in key sectors such as defence production, agriculture, mining, information technology (IT), and energy through both domestic and foreign investments. He will also hold meetings with a few heads of state and government from other countries attending the forum.

Likely, some federal ministers dealing with the economy and Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Dr. Jahanzaib Khan will accompany the prime minister to the annual meeting, where over 100 governments, all major international organisations, 1,000 Forum’s Partners, as well as civil society leaders, experts, youth representatives, social entrepreneurs, and news outlets, will be present. Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jailani will also travel to Davos separately.

Speculations suggest that the Swiss visit will be the last foreign visit of Prime Minister Kakar, who has extensively travelled since assuming office on August 14 last year. Interestingly, he barred ministers from undertaking unnecessary foreign visits in October last year, directing that only the most unavoidable foreign visits should be undertaken and that preference should be given to visits sponsored by the relevant country or institution.