Jacinda, Imran Khan on Time’s 100 most influential people of 2019

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NEW DELHI: The “Time 100 Most Influential People 2019” named the world’s most influential pioneers, leaders, titans, artists and icons of the year.

Star cricketer turned Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, was named among the 100 most influential people in the category of leaders.

“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, writes Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid for PM Imran Khan

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who received global acclaim for her handling of the recent mosques massacre in Christchurch lso made it to the annual list.

Penned by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Ms Ardern’s entry on the list said, “Not only is she delivering such swift action on gun control, she has sent a powerful message around the world about our shared values — that those who seek to divide us will never succeed,” Mr Khan wrote.

“New Zealand will always protect and celebrate the diversity and openness that make our countries so great.

“We will never forget that when terror sent ripples of fear through communities around the world, New Zealand’s Prime Minister proudly stood up for hope, unity and inclusiveness in the face of fear, division and hatred.”

The list includes Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Bin Mohamad, Pope Francis, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, US President Donald Trump, Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani, and Indian-American comedian Hasan Minhaj to name a few.

The 26-year-old Liverpool footballer Mohamed Salah was also named as one of the magazine’s 100 most influential figures of the year, alongside other athletes including Tiger Woods, LeBron James and Naomi Osaka.

View the full list here