PM to attend investment moot in Saudi Arabia on two-day visit

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia to attend the 8th Edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII), being held in Riyadh from October 29 to 30.

During the official visit, the prime minister will be accompanied by key cabinet ministers, according to a curtain-raiser issued by the Foreign Office.

The FII serves as an important platform for countries to showcase their economic strength, draw foreign investments, and engage in dialogue to shape a sustainable future. This year’s FII is themed ‘Infinite Horizons: Investing Today, Shaping Tomorrow’ and would focus on global investments aimed at addressing major issues such as artificial intelligence, robotics, education, energy, space, finance, healthcare and sustainability.

PM Shehbaz is expected to hold important bilateral talks with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and other senior Saudi officials. The two sides would discuss economic and strategic partnership between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and explore bilateral cooperation in the economic, energy, and defence domains.

Shehbaz is also expected to engage with participating leaders and entrepreneurs at the conference. Meanwhile, chairing a meeting, the prime minister expressed his government’s resolve to make Pakistan a polio-free country, stressing the need for unified action in this regard.

“We will not rest until we have permanently defeated polio,” he said. Commending the efforts of the government’s polio team in combating the disease, he directed Coordinator for National Health Dr Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, Polio Focal Person Ayesha Raza Farooq and the National Health secretary to visit the most-affected areas during the recent polio campaign.

The prime minister also directed to conduct a third-party audit of the anti-polio campaign. Additionally, he emphasised the need to develop a comprehensive strategy to address the immunity gap.

In the meeting, the prime minister was briefed on recent polio cases and the eradication campaign. Currently, the number of active polio cases in the country stands at 41, out of which 25 such cases whom routine immunisation coverage is not better.

The briefing also highlighted that the spread of polio was lower in areas with better vaccination rates. The meeting was attended by Dr Bharath, Ayesha Raza Farooq and relevant senior government officials.