Daily Times

SLAMABAD: Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (rtd) Raheel Sharif has been invited to speak on terrorism at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.

A WEF spokesperson confirmed that Gen Sharif would take part in two sessions of the event to be held on January 17.

His first session ‘terrorism in the digital age’ will discuss the fragmented struggles against major militant groups such as Al Qaeda, the Islamic State and Boko Haram along with responsible leadership in international security and resilience to the global network.

The focus of the session will be on terrorist organisations and the trend which sees them increasingly using sophisticated digital networks to signal allegiance to a wider movement, attack their enemies and manage resources.

The former COAS will also speak in the session on ‘Global security context’ which will discuss “the noteworthy changes and emerging trends reshaping the international security agenda”.

Pakistan already had significant representation at this year’s forum with award winning documentary filmmaker Sharmeen Obiad Chinoy being given the honour of co-chairing the meeting.

However, this is also the first time that a former army official from the country has been asked to address the audience at the meeting. Former President General Pervez Musharraf, was the last person from Pakistan with a military background to have spoken at the forum, but he had done so in his guise as the president.

General Raheel was chosen for his successful track record in battling terrorism and militant activities, having been at the helm during Operation Zarb-e-Azab, which had significantly reduced terrorist presence in Pakistan.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will lead the Pakistani delegation to the meeting, which also includes National Health Services State Minister Saira Afzal Tarrar, Mosharraf Zaidi and Arif Naqvi.

More than 2,500 participants from nearly 100 countries will meet and participate in over 300 sessions during this year’s meeting of the WEF.

This year’s theme revolves around discussions on how global leaders can renew and adapt international cooperation systems to the complex, changing trends of the modern world in order to foster inclusive and equitable growth.