ISLAMABAD (National Times) Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will leave for Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh today (Saturday) to participate in a special meeting of World Economic Forum on Global Cooperation, Growth and Energy.

The prime minister has been invited to attend the moot by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud and the founder and chief executive of the World Economic Forum Klaus Schwab,

The prime minister will present Pakistan’s position regarding global health, financial technologies, information technology, inclusive growth, regional cooperation and balanced use of energy in the context of global development.

On the sidelines, the prime minister is also expected to hold meetings with important world leaders, heads of international organizations and other important personalities.

PM TO VISIT GAMBIA TO ATTEND 15TH SESSION OF ISLAMIC SUMMIT CONFERENCE

A day earlier, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, during a press briefing, said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend a two-day special meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from Sunday.

She said the high-level participation will provide an opportunity to highlight Pakistan’s priorities in regional collaboration and balance between growth and energy consumption.

The prime minister will also visit Gambia to attend the 15th session of the Islamic Summit Conference under the slogan Enhancing Unity and Solidarity through Dialogue for Sustainable Development on May 4-5, 2024 in Banjul, the capital city of Gambia.

She said prime minister would express Pakistan’s grave concern on genocide in Gaza, advocate for their right to self-determination, the imperative of solidarity, besides deliberating on Islamophobia, terrorism, and the challenges faced by the Muslim world.

The spokesperson told media that Pakistan was witnessing a surge in provocative statements from the Indian leaders asserting unwarranted claims on Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

She said Pakistan rejects the Indian claims as fueled by hyper-nationalism with inflammation rhetoric and such claims pose threats to regional peace and stability.

She urged the Indian politicians to cease the practice of dragging Pakistan into their internal discourse aimed at gaining electoral motives.

She said that despite Indian rhetoric and assertions, IIOJK remains an internationally recognized disputed territory as the UN Security Council’s resolutions clearly outline that final status would be determined by the will of the Kashmiri people through a free plebiscite.