Pakistani PM to kick off World Economic Forum engagements today in Davos

People at the Congress Center where the World Economy Forum take place in Davos, Switzerland, on January 14, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 15 January 2024
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Pakistani PM to kick off World Economic Forum engagements today in Davos

  • Caretaker PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar arrived in Zurich on Sunday evening for the summit 
  • Kakar to lead ‘Invest in Pakistan’ event at World Economic Forum, deliver keynote address

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar will participate in the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos which kicks off today, Monday, to meet key business and government leaders to discuss global issues of importance at the sidelines of the event. 

Kakar arrived in Switzerland’s Zurich city on Sunday evening to attend the summit. Pakistan’s foreign office said last week Kakar would visit Davos from January 15-19 for the 54th WEF summit. It said Kakar would attend three key thematic events during the official trip, which include: Preventing An Era of Global Conflict, Restoring Faith in the Global System, and Preventing Economic Fracture.

The Pakistani premier would also deliver a keynote address for a session titled: ‘Trade Tech’s Trillion Dollar Promise.’

“During his visit, Prime Minister Kakar would lead a special ‘Invest in Pakistan’ event,” Pakistan Television News (PTV News) wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday. 

The WEF describes itself as an international organization for public-private cooperation. It engages the foremost political, business, cultural, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.

The forum was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The theme of this year’s meeting is “Rebuilding Trust.”

Pakistan used last year’s WEF summit to spotlight the immense damages inflicted by the disastrous 2022 floods and seek international economic assistance from world powers.

This year, the South Asian country’s prime minister heads to the summit as Pakistan gears up for elections less than a month away, rising security challenges in its western borders with Afghanistan, and an economic crisis that has triggered inflation in many parts of the country, plummeted its foreign exchange reserves and weakened its national currency. 


Pakistan PM praises stuntman ‘Sultan Golden’ for breaking record for fastest reverse car driving

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Pakistan PM praises stuntman ‘Sultan Golden’ for breaking record for fastest reverse car driving

  • Sultan Muhammad Khan drove one mile in reverse in just 57 seconds to set new world record, local media widely reported
  • Khan previously broke world record for longest motorbike ramp jump in 1987, managing a 249-feet long jump in Lahore

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari praised renowned stuntman Sultan Muhammad Khan, popularly known as “Sultan Golden,” for breaking the world record for fastest reverse driving a car on Saturday. 

As per local media reports, Khan achieved the feat in the capital of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province Quetta, when he drove one mile in reserve in just 57 seconds. 

“Sultan Golden has made Pakistan proud across the world,” Sharif said in a statement released by his office. 

The Pakistani prime minister said his government is committed to providing all possible facilities in every field of sports. 

Zardari also heaped praise on the stuntman for setting the new world record. 

“He said the achievement reflects the skill, courage and dedication of Pakistanis, strengthening Pakistan’s positive image globally and wished him continued success,” the president’s official X account wrote. 

Khan has been performing stunts since the 1980s in Pakistan, a country where motorsports does not gain traction due to a lack of infrastructure and popularity of other sports such as cricket, football and squash. 

Khan, who hails from the southwestern city of Pasni, earned the nickname ‘Golden’ early on in his youth for his iconic curly golden hair. 

In March 1987, he entered his name in the Guinness Book of World Records when he performed the longest motorbike ramp jump in Lahore. Khan managed a 249-feet long jump, beating the previous record by two feet.