Brussels, (Unib Rashid) — In a surprising turn of events, Pakistan was represented by a French national at the World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) international conference held in Brussels.

Councillor Muhammad Nasir Chaudhry, who served as a director on the organizing team, revealed that he was “shocked” to see a French citizen representing Pakistan at the prestigious global event — and even receiving Pakistan’s participation certificate on behalf of the country.

Chaudhry, a prominent member of the Pak–Benelux Overseas Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Brussels, said,

“Among 48 participating countries, Pakistan was the only one not represented by its own citizen. As a Pakistani-origin person, I was astonished. Was this an intentional decision by the government of Pakistan? If yes, on what grounds? Or was it that Brussels is located on Mars, where no Pakistani was available to represent their own nation?”

He criticized the government’s lack of seriousness, saying,

“Our governments focus their energy on raising slogans of ‘Zindabad’ and ‘Murdabad,’ but never train overseas Pakistanis on how to effectively voice Pakistan’s stance within European institutions. This negligence is damaging Pakistan’s global interests.”

Chaudhry highlighted that over 450 platforms in Europe have been spreading anti-Pakistan narratives over the past two decades, questioning why no systematic policy was ever developed to prepare capable representatives to counter them.

He further pointed to video evidence from the event, where Mr. Federico España can be seen accepting Pakistan’s membership certificate. In the video, España clearly states that he received the certificate “on behalf of Pakistan because the official delegation failed to obtain visas.”

Another official, Mr. Laurent Nys, confirmed that no Pakistani individuals had even applied for visas, while delegates from other countries did and received them without issue.

Expressing deep regret, Chaudhry said the government has kept overseas Pakistanis confined to slogan-chanting rather than capacity-building. He urged the creation of a comprehensive Overseas Engagement Policy that would establish trained spokespersons, accredited journalists, and policy experts to represent Pakistan in European forums — ensuring that Pakistan’s voice is heard effectively and credibly on the world stage.