PM Imran Khan calls on IMF president on sidelines of World Economic Forum

DAVOS (92 News) – Prime Minister Imran Khan called on International Monetary Fund (IMF) President Kristalina Georgieva on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on Wednesday. Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdur Razzaq Dawood, Special Adviser Zulfi Bukhari and State Bank of Pakistan Governor Ali Jahangir Siddiqui were also present. Earlier speaking at Pakistan Strategy Dialogue at Switzerland, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan said that now Pakistan will not become part of any war, adding that Afghan war has brought Kalashnikovs and drugs culture in the country. The prime minister said that Pakistan paid heavily for first conflict, after the Soviets left Afghanistan, and a culture of Kalashnikovs and drugs that were used to pay for the war and sectarian groups that did a lot of damage to society. “Then there was the war on terror which left 70,000 people dead and Pakistan was considered one of the most dangerous places in the world,” PM Khan mentioned. “Therefore, when my government came into power we made a conscious decision to only partner with people in peace. We decided to not become part of any conflict,” he added. He maintained that Pakistan played an important role in the Saudi-Iran conflict. As a result of this, the PM said, the first benefit Pakistan saw was in the field of tourism. “In terms of tourism, Pakistan is perhaps one of the most undiscovered countries in the world. It has one of the oldest civilisations, the Indus Valley which is 5,000 years old, and has sacred places for four religions,” the prime minister said. “We are one of the most tourism friendly countries and all this potential was untapped, especially the mountain areas,” Imran Khan said. He also said that the first impact was that tourism recovered in a year. Referring to Pakistan topping the list of tourist destinations in 2020, the prime minister said: “We believe Pakistan can collect a lot of revenue from tourism.” The premier said that the second step was investment and the government is doing everything possible to attract investment and to give incentives to industries. Referring regarding the jump in Pakistan’s Ease of Doing Business rankings, he said, “We have a long way to go but this is the direction in which the country is headed.” Earlier, US President Donald Trump had once again offered to play his role for Pak-India relations, including Kashmir issue. During a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the Word Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said that he was happy to meet Imran Khan. “Imran Khan is my good friend. Our relations with Pakistan are good” Trump said trade and borders were both critical points for discussion. “Trade is going to be of very, very paramount importance … and we’re working together on some borders, and we’re talking about Kashmir in relation to what is going on with Pakistan and India. And if we can help we certainly will be helping,” he said. “We’ve been watching that and following it very, very closely,” he added. Prime Minister Imran Khan said that Pakistan wants peace and stability in the country. “Pakistan will continue to play a role for peace and stability in the region.”He said that Pakistan and the US enjoy good relations.