PM Shehbaz kicks off Davos engagements with meeting with Palestinian PM

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif kicked off his engagements at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Wednesday with a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa. 

PM Shehbaz arrived in Switzerland a day ago to attend the WEF’s 56th Annual Meeting and is scheduled to have a busy day of engagements. He is set to participate in an informal meeting of world leaders themed “The Importance of Dialogue in a Divided Global Landscape”.

A post on X by state broadcaster PTV News said PM Shehbaz met his Palestinian counterpart on the forum’s sidelines. 

It said the Palestinian premier expressed gratitude to Pakistan for its “consistent, principled and unwavering support” for the Palestinian people, and thanked Islamabad for backing Palestine’s position at international forums. He also acknowledged Pakistan’s role in advocating the Palestinian cause globally.

The WEF is a Swiss-based non-governmental organisation that brings together leaders from the political, business, academic, and cultural sectors to discuss global issues. The annual conference, held in Davos, serves as a platform for world leaders and executives to address economic challenges, global policies, and innovative solutions. The event is taking place from Monday to Friday.

During his stay, PM Shehbaz is also expected to meet the International Monetary Fund’s managing director and hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders on the sidelines of the WEF, focusing on global economic challenges, regional stability and Pakistan’s reform agenda.

The prime minister is accompanied by a high-level delegation that includes Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema, Minister for Information Ataullah Tarar, Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi, and other senior officials.

Read: PM Shehbaz departs for Davos to attend WEF Annual Meeting

Finance minister meets ADB chief

Separately, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda in Davos on the forum’s sidelines, where the two sides reviewed Pakistan’s economic reform agenda, macroeconomic stabilisation and the strengthening of their long-standing development partnership.

The finance minister pointed to what he described as improving economic indicators, saying inflation was easing, policy rates were coming down, foreign exchange reserves were strengthening and investor confidence was picking up.

He also briefed the ADB president on progress in structural reforms, particularly privatisation and greater private sector participation, and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to sustaining reforms.

Kanda welcomed the progress, saying the bank “remains fully committed to supporting Pakistan’s reform agenda” and underscored continued cooperation in energy sector reforms, sustainable development initiatives and improved access to international capital markets.