Gen Bajwa on Forbes world’s most powerful people list

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has been named in the Forbes’ list of most powerful people.

General Bajwa, who was appointed to the post in 2016, was ranked 68 among 75 people, according to the global magazine. "There are nearly 7.5 billion humans on planet Earth, but these 75 men and women make the world turn. Forbes' annual ranking of The World’s Most Powerful People identifies one person out of every 100 million whose actions mean the most," the magazine said.

General Bajwa, Pakistan’s 10th Army Chief and recipient of Nishan-e-Imtiaz and Hilal-i-Imtiaz, is the only Pakistani to make it to the list. The army chief is among 17 newcomers to the list along with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia and French President Emmanuel Macron, among others.

“Out of 75 members, 17 are newcomers. Among them there are presidents, billionaires, heads of organisations, CEOs, and one special counsel. One commonality: Their words and actions impact a large number of people, businesses, and even entire economies,” the magazine said. This year’s list is topped by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi, who has been allowed to remain “president for life” as his term limits were removed in March, pushed out Russia’s Vladimir Putin from top. Further, the annual survey by Forbes magazine showed US President Donald Trump slump to third place. The fourth most powerful person in the world also happens to be the most powerful woman: Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany. She is followed by Amazon chief Jeff Bezos.

Moreover, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been ranked on number nine in the list.

The list also includes Pope Francis (6), Cofounder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Bill Gates (7), French President Emmanuel Macron (12), Alibaba Chief Jack Ma (21), CEO and Chairman of Tesla Elon Musk (25), UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (31), North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (36), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (57), Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad (62), Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte (69) and Daesh's self-proclaimed leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (73).

In 2012, Pakistan’s then army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and ISI chief Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam also made it to the Forbes Most Powerful People List.