KARACHl: Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has been named among the world`s most powerful people by Forbes in its ranking for 2018.

The army chief has been ranked the 68th most powerful person in the world on a list that includes 75 personalities, including Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau, the Turkish president, North Korea`s Kim Jong-Un, News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch, Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.Chinese President Xi Jinping has been named the world`s most powerful person for 2018, while Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump have been ranked second and third, respectively.

`Although the president is his boss on paper, Pakistan`s chief of army staff isde facto the most powerful person in the nuclear armed state,` Forbes wrote about the 57-year-old army chief.

`Javed Bajwa joins the world`s most powerful at a time when the rift between India and Pakistan is improving, partly thanks to his efforts,` the magazine explained.

Forbes, a New York-based bi-weekly, observed that Gen Bajwa had a `difficult task` on his hands of maintaining peace in Pakistan, where militant groups are present `while managing a complex relationship with India`.