ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday on a two-day visit to participate in the investment conference dubbed as ‘Davos in the desert’.

PM Sharif is one of the key speakers at the Future Investment Initiative conference, an official said, adding that the prime minister would use the occasion to highlight investment opportunities in Pakistan.

The conference’s theme is “Investing in Humanity: Enabling a New Global Order”.

The event being held in Riyadh has been an annual feature since 2017.

This year’s edition runs from Tuesday to Thursday and would be participated in by 6000 delegates from different parts of the world, including top corporate executives of multinationals, policymakers, investors, entrepreneurs and young leaders.

The conference is hosted by the Future Investment Initiative Institute which, though not officially associated with the Saudi government, operates under the patronage of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The investment conference, whose second edition in 2018 was eclipsed by the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, is being held this year in the shadow of US-Saudi spat over Opec’s oil production cut.

US officials have not been invited by organisers to this year’s event because of the rift. The organisers say they do not want politics to take centerstage and instead keep the focus on business at the conference. However, nearly 400 top US business executives have confirmed their participation in the event.

Pakistan sided with the Kingdom in its row with the US over oil production cut.

PM Sharif, besides participating in the conference, is also likely to meet Saudi leaders on the sidelines of the conference as well.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2022

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.