ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will take up the issues of Indian interference and human rights violations in Kashmir when he meets with the UN chief and world leaders on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s annual meeting in Davos.
The prime minister will attend the annual meeting, starting from January 17 in the Swiss city, on the invitation of the WEF Executive Chairman Professor Klaus Schwab, the foreign ministry said in a statement issued on Sunday.
Nawaz Sharif has a number of bilateral meetings lined up with various heads of states and governments, as well as with business leaders.
Among others, he will meet the new United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as well as the Swiss President Doris Leuthard.
The prime minister will address a group of about 60 top business leaders on the topic of “Investing in Pakistan: The new reality”.
Moreover, he will have a roundtable meeting in which he will share with a select group of business leaders, the economic changes taking place in Pakistan and the investment and trade opportunities that are opening up in the country.
Over 3,200 heads of states, public figures, top business leaders, academics and media leaders will participate in the WEF Annual Meeting 2017. The theme for the meeting is “Responsive and Responsible Leadership.”
The WEF annual meeting provides an unparalleled platform to discuss wide-ranging economic and political issues.
Participants at the WEF 2017 will reflect on the key challenges of the “fourth industrial revolution” strengthening global collaboration, and revitalising the global economy.
Prime Minister Nawaz will reflect upon these challenges in his interactions in Davos.
His participation in the meeting would help project Pakistan as a prime destination for business, investment and trade, the foreign ministry’s statement said.
Officials at the foreign ministry told The Nation, that the prime minister would take up the issue of Indian interference and human rights violations in Kashmir by the Indian forces.
This month, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN Dr Maleeha Lodhi briefed the new UN chief over the Kashmir issue, and presented a dossier containing evidence of Indian interference in Pakistan.
Later, Antonio Guterres, who replaced Ban Ki-Moon as the UN secretary-general recently, offered to mediate between Pakistan and India on Kashmir.
He agreed to play the role of an “honest broker” to de-escalate tensions between Pakistan and India that had been on the rise since July last year.
Pakistan has shown willingness for the UN chief’s meditation and has been urging India to take the opportunity to resolve the decades-old dispute.
Pakistan is also in contact with Europe and the United States to garner support over the Kashmir issue, and expose India’s aggression in the occupied territory and along the Line of Control (LoC).
A foreign ministry official said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would take the opportunity of meeting world leaders to project Pakistan’s point-of-view on held Kashmir and seek support against Indian aggression along the LoC.
“The prime minister will discuss the dossier against India with the UN chief and seek his help to ease the tension [with India] to make way for dialogue,” he said.
Another ministry official said that all the “hot issues” of the region would also be discussed with the world leaders on the sidelines of the WEF meeting.
“Naturally the bilateral ties will also come under discussion when the prime minister meets the leaders of the other countries,” he added.
The WEF is a Geneva-based Swiss non-profit foundation. The January-end meeting is its best known annual feature.
This yearly meeting is host to thousands of political leaders, businessmen and journalists for up to four days to discuss the most pressing global issues.