PM Shehbaz, CDF Asim Munir Share Top Spot on Muslim 500

ISLAMABAD: (News Desk0 – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir have jointly secured the top position in the 2027 edition of The Muslim 500: The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims, alongside Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The annual publication, compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Amman, has identified the world’s 500 most influential Muslims. According to the report, this is the first time that multiple individuals have jointly secured the top position.

The publication attributed the unprecedented ranking to the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, describing it as a significant development in cooperation among Muslim countries.

It said the agreement, signed on August 7, 2026, and activated during an emergency summit in Riyadh, brought together Saudi Arabia’s economic strength, Türkiye’s technological and manufacturing capabilities, and Pakistan’s military power under a collective defence arrangement.

The report described the pact as being based on the principle of “one for all, all for one”, adding that it had reshaped regional political dynamics.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei secured fourth place, followed by Jordan’s King Abdullah II at fifth. Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was ranked sixth, while Pakistani religious scholar Sheikh Muhammad Taqi Usmani secured seventh position.

United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was placed 12th, while Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ranked 22nd. Another prominent Pakistani religious scholar, Maulana Tariq Jameel, secured the 32nd position.

Liverpool footballer Mohamed Salah was ranked 39th, followed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at 45th. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani secured the 49th position.

The publication also highlighted Pakistan’s economic and diplomatic challenges over the past year, noting that the country had navigated economic stabilisation efforts, regional security pressures and the task of maintaining diplomatic balance among major global powers.