Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir held cordial and informal interactions with several world leaders, including United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s 56th Annual Meeting in Davos on Thursday.
The prime minister and the chief of the army staff, who were in Switzerland to attend the annual global gathering, exchanged warm greetings with senior international figures, including Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Rubio and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
The two also attended a special address delivered by United States President Donald Trump during the forum. They also “shared a banter” with Turkish foreign minister, wrote Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on X.
“After concluding our numerous official engagements at Davos 2026, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan sharing lighter moments before all leaving Davos for return journey.
This marked a rare appearance by a serving army chief at the global gathering of political and business leaders.
Pakistan’s participation at Davos comes as Islamabad seeks to attract investment, project economic stability and deepen engagement with key international partners following recent reforms aimed at stabilizing the economy. While Pakistani leaders routinely attend the World Economic Forum, it is uncommon for a serving army chief to be present. In 2017, former army chief Raheel Sharif addressed the forum only after his retirement, while General Pervez Musharraf spoke at Davos on a number of occasions in his role as president, not as military chief.
Officials say the delegation’s engagements focused on strengthening economic ties and maintaining high-level contact with partners in the Middle East, Central Asia and the United States at a time of shifting global economic and strategic alignments.
The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting brings together heads of state, ministers, investors and corporate leaders to discuss global economic risks, investment trends and geopolitical challenges.