France permanently closes consulate in Karachi

KARACHI: The Consulate General of France in Karachi is closing its doors permanently after 50 years of service. This was announced by the outgoing French Ambassador to Pakistan Nicolas Galey at a farewell organised by the Board of Management of the Quaid-i-Azam House Museum in collaboration with the Karachi Council of Foreign Relations on Tuesday. The event was aimed at saying goodbye to two great friends of Pakistan: Ambassador Galey and the Consul General of France in Karachi Alexis Chahtahtinsky. The ambassador said that he was also feeling a bit sad after spending almost five years in Pakistan. Farewell held for French Ambassador Nicolas Galey and Consul General Alexis Chahtahtinsky “And my leaving is also coinciding with the departure of our Consul General in Karachi Alexis Chahtahtinsky. Someone will replace me in Islamabad but here in Karachi, the French Consulate, which opened in 1976, is closing down after 50 years of service, ” he said. “I have visited Karachi many times and have seen the vitality of this city. I have seen it changing and improving, ” he said, while appreciating Consul General Alexis for his good work in Karachi. “Even though the consulate is closing, there is still the Alliance Francaise, which will now serve as our flagship. There will also be the Pakistan France Business Alliance here doing its work, ” the Ambassador reminded. He also said that he really appreciates Pakistan’s efforts in at least getting “a kind of ceasefire in the Gulf. Pakistan has emerged as a very influential country in difficult circumstances. ” Consul General Chahtahtinsky said that he was leaving Karachi and Pakistan on September 1. “I am going back to France but I am taking great memories of Karachi with me, ” he said, adding that he is not just a great friend but also an old friend of Pakistan. “I first visited Pakistan as a student in 1983, which was a great thing, because as a diplomat you don’t get so much freedom to go where you want. I was lucky enough to visit and fall in love with the Northern Areas of Pakistan at the time, ” he said. “As the Consul General, I spent another four memorable years in Karachi, which was the first capital of Pakistan and still its economic hub. Indeed, Karachi, as the biggest port in the country, is the gateway to Pakistan, ” he said. “It is a great place for doing business and has a great social life. I will always have a special place in my heart for Karachi, ” he added. “Earlier Pakistan had a reputation of crime and terrorism and embassy people used to be afraid to come here. But since February 28, when the major conflict erupted in the Gulf, Pakistan has also emerged on the world map due to its mediation efforts. The entire world is grateful to Pakistan for its role. It is a very different Pakistan that we are leaving. Instead of being a problem, Pakistan has repositioned itself to become part of the solution, ” the consul general said. During his vote of thanks, Vice Chairman of the Board of Management of the Karachi Council of Foreign Relations Ikram Sehgal recounted that France was the first non-Muslim nation to recognise Pakistan though diplomatic relations between both countries were established in 1951. “France has lent Pakistan support whenever we needed it. We got Daphne-class submarines followed by the Agosta-class submarines at a time when no one was giving us weapons. “Before that we had the Mirage III and Mirage 5 fighter jets. Through Project Retrofit of Strike Element [ROSE], a modernisation programme for ageing Mirage jets carried out at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra, we are still flying their upgraded versions. In between, we also captured some French army tanks used by India to put into use ourselves, ” he said, adding that France is wrong in closing its consulate in Karachi at this time when Pakistan’s waters are turning into a major power. “This is a time when France could have taken advantage of the opportunities coming up here in the name of trade and new alliances are coming up geopolitically as Pakistan gets ready to play a big role, ” he concluded. Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2026

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