By our correspondent
KARACHI: The Foreign Affairs Liaison Office (FALO) Karachi of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a farewell and welcome reception for members of the Consular Corps at the State Guest House on Friday.
Speaking at the event, Director General FALO Karachi Muhammad Irfan Soomro welcomed distinguished diplomats and members of the consular community, saying the gathering offered an opportunity to bid farewell to colleagues who had completed their assignments in Karachi while also welcoming those who had recently arrived in the city.
He paid tribute to the contributions of outgoing diplomats Lance Gavin Domm and Alexis Chahtahtinsky, and extended a welcome to newly arrived diplomats Mudzakir, Akbar Eissazadeh, Ergul Kadak and Joohoon Kim as they begin their assignments in Karachi. The DG noted that Karachi was not merely a posting but a distinct diplomatic experience.
As Pakistan’s economic and commercial hub, he said, the city offered opportunities that extended beyond traditional diplomacy. “Few cities provide such direct access to business leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, media, academia, civil society and one of the region’s most dynamic commercial communities,” he said.
Soomro highlighted that while diplomats in many capitals spend years building economic networks, Karachi offers a different environment where opportunities often come directly to the diplomatic community. He said the city’s business sector actively engages with diplomats, making Karachi a natural hub for trade, investment, connectivity and economic diplomacy.
Addressing outgoing diplomats, he said they would carry with them the warmth, resilience and spirit of Karachi as they moved on to new assignments. He expressed hope that they would continue to share Pakistan’s message of partnership, trade and global connectivity based on mutual benefit and shared prosperity.
