Quantifying the benefits of participating in a global economic event is challenging, as the outcomes often involve a time lag. The government has described Pakistan’s engagements at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month as fruitful, citing a range of economic, diplomatic and reputational gains aligned with the country’s strategic priorities.

Without details on the government’s cost for the four-day event at the Alpine resort hosting the global elite, it is difficult to assess its utility, especially for a country that narrowly averted financial collapse last year with multilateral and bilateral donor support.

“In a country like Pakistan, where tough conditions have pushed half the population below the poverty line, the salaried class sacrifices daily need to meet tax demands and development budgets are cut to satisfy donors, the government must account for every dime spent. Controlling the purse strings doesn’t justify wasteful spending. Parliament must monitor expensive foreign trips, and the government should disclose cost alongside benefits for all initiatives,” he added.

The World Economic Forum (WEF), held from Jan 20-24 under the theme ‘Collaboration for the Intelligent Age, ’ brought together 3,000 attendees from over 130 countries. According to the WEF........

© Dawn Business