PM Imran Khan named among Time’s 100 most influential people of 2019

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been named among Time magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People’ of 2019.

The list which was unveiled on Wednesday has picked up the world’s most “influential people” under four categories: leaders, pioneers, artists, icons, and titans. The listicle marks the 16th year for Time 100.

In the magazine’s special issue journalist, Ahmed Rashid writes about PM Imran Khan, saying: “Pakistan is at a critical crossroads, and the man in charge is the closest it has to a rock star. Imran Khan captained the team that won the 1992 Cricket World Cup, built a world-class cancer hospital in Lahore, then a top-notch university for kids who could never have dreamed of attending one. Twenty years ago, he entered politics—a dirty business in Pakistan at the best of times.

“Now he is Prime Minister of an impoverished nation that cannot pay its bills and is dependent on handouts from rich neighbours like China and the Arab Gulf states. Critics say Khan is too close to the army and Islamic fundamentalists and chooses advisers poorly. Driven by fierce ambition, he can be cold and calculating. But he still generates the broadest hope among young and old that he can turn Pakistan around, and help make South Asia an ocean of peace rather than a state of permanent conflict.”

Other world leaders who are included in the list are; US President Donald Trump, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed, Pope Francis, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

New Zealand premier Jacinda Ardern, has also made it to the annual list of world’s influential people. She received global commendation for the handling of the aftermath of a terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch.

Egypt football star Mohamed Salah has also been included on the list, alongside celebrity singers Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and former US first lady Michelle Obama, musician Taylor Swift, actors Dwayne Johnson and Sandra Oh, US broadcaster Gayle King , US politician Nancy Pelosi, and  American Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke and K-Pop sensation boy band BTS has also made into the Time 100 listicle.

Complete list of Time magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People’ of 2019 can be viewed here