Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says government's immediate priority is to safely navigate through current economic crisis.

In a feature written in British weekly "The Economist", he said the whole world is facing a difficult year but we have the protection of an IMF programme to see us through.

He said some measures will create hardship and require sacrifice but we are committed to implementing the programme as it is our path to safety.

He said we must do better by our youth and our women, and enable them to fulfil their aspirations and become drivers of our economic growth.

Terming climate change a major existential threat, the Prime Minister said it is a time for coming together we must revive and strengthen our relationships with old friends on the international stage. He said we should focus equally on making friends out of adversaries.