ISLAMABAD: Acknowledging the fact that Pakistan was going through a severe economic crisis, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday invited attendees at a key investment conference in Riyadh to invest in the country and reap benefits.
Highlighting investment opportunities — specifically in the tourism and mining sectors — PM Khan, along with his key cabinet ministers, talked about the issues plaguing his government at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference, also known as “Davos in the desert”.
According to Pakistan’s state-run radio, PM Khan said that his government had inherited a huge burden of current account and fiscal deficits and was working on different fronts to resolve the financial crunch.
He told the conference that his government was approaching the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and friendly countries to seek loans and plug the financial gap.
“The government is also endeavoring to reform our institutions to check the menace of corruption in mega development projects and white collar crimes,” Radio Pakistan said quoting the prime minister.
He also assured participants at the conference that his government would create an environment that was conducive for doing business in the country, to attract foreign entities — particularly overseas Pakistanis — to invest in various projects in the country.
Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Information Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, who is part of the delegation accompanying PM Khan on his visit, tweeted that the amount of respect that is accorded to PM Khan by the Kingdom shows how much importance is being given to the premier by the Muslim community.
As part of his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, PM Khan began his trip from Madinah, following which he traveled to Riyadh to participate in the FII conference.
PM Khan and his coterie of officials arrived in Madinah on Monday night where they were received by Governor Faisal bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The group prayed together at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah before heading to Riyadh to attend the conference.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Finance Minister Asad Umar, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Abdur Razak Dawood and several other officials are part of the delegation accompanying the prime minister.
As part of his visit, PM Khan is also expected to call upon King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman.
PM Khan seeks investment at ‘Davos in the desert’
PM Khan seeks investment at ‘Davos in the desert’
- Promises to create a conducive environment for doing business in Pakistan
- Addresses Islamabad’s economic issues at key conference in Riyadh
Pakistan PM to attend Gaza peace board meeting as Islamabad backs Palestinian statehood
- Islamabad says participation tied to ceasefire, reconstruction and pre-1967 Palestinian state
- Analysts call move diplomatic balancing act between Muslim bloc coordination and US ties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend the inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace on Gaza in Washington today, Thursday, as Islamabad says its participation is aimed at securing a ceasefire, reconstruction, and an independent Palestinian state.
The visit comes at Trump’s invitation and will run from Feb. 18–20, according to the Prime Minister’s Office, with Sharif accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and other senior officials.
The Board of Peace, formed under a UN Security Council resolution following a fragile October 2025 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, is intended to oversee international stabilization and rebuilding efforts in Gaza after months of war.
“Pakistan joined the Board of Peace as part of its almost eight decades long support for the rights and dignity of the Palestinian people. This begins and ends with the establishment of a Palestinian state based on pre 1967 borders and Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital,” Prime Minister’s spokesperson for foreign media Mosharraf Zaidi told Arab News.
Pakistan formally joined the body last month after Sharif signed its charter alongside other world leaders in Davos. The forum includes an eight-nation Muslim bloc comprising Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
“The primary motivation for the Board of Peace is President Trump’s sincere commitment to the end of the genocide in Gaza and the consensus of the eight-country Islamic and Arab bloc to support a UN-endorsed Gaza framework focused on a permanent ceasefire, reconstruction, and the Palestinian right to self-determination and statehood,” Zaidi said.
Islamabad hopes involvement in the forum will allow it to shape post-war governance arrangements while protecting Palestinian political rights.
“Pakistan’s participation is explicitly tied to a pathway to Palestinian statehood and international law,” Zaidi said.
He added that participation did not signal recognition of Israel.
“Participating in this historic initiative is not recognition of Israel and does not change Pakistan’s principled position on Palestine.”
He also stressed that multilateral engagement does not equal diplomatic normalization.
“Engagement in multilateral mechanisms that includes Israel does not equal diplomatic relations. Israel is a UN member state, and a member of the World Bank and IMF since 1954–but this does not entail normalization.”
Pakistan’s foreign office says the prime minister will also meet senior US leadership and other heads of government on the sidelines.
“The occasion will provide an opportunity for discussions on bilateral matters, as well as global issues of mutual concern,” the PMO statement said.
A BALANCING ACT
Analysts say Islamabad sees participation as both strategic and low-risk given multiple Muslim countries are involved.
“Since eight major Muslim countries are on board the process, Pakistan sees little to lose,” former diplomat Abdul Basit told Arab News.
However, he warned against any direct military enforcement role.
“We must not be part of any effort toward disarming Hamas ... peacekeeping is okay but not peace enforcement.”
Basit said Pakistan could instead contribute humanitarian assistance.
“If at all we may send our medical corps and engineering corps to help rebuild Gaza.”
Umer Karim, an associate fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh, said Pakistan was attempting to coordinate with Muslim partners while preserving relations with Washington.
“I think Pakistan is trying to work collectively alongside the group of Muslim nations to achieve a resolution of the conflict that results eventually in the departure of Israeli forces from Gaza and paves the way for comprehensive reconstruction of the strip,” Karim said.
He described Islamabad’s diplomacy as delicate:
“This scenario remains a difficult balancing act and diplomatic skills as well as the personal rapport of Pakistani leadership with President Trump will be tested again and again.”
