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Local Newsletter of the Embassy of Belgium in Islamabad

Issue 8 – 21 August 2015

Message from the Ambassador Dear friends, Today, I will leave Pakistan with my family at the end of my tenure. It has been an intense, sometimes difficult but mostly rewarding three years at the service of my country and of bilateral relations between Pakistan and Belgium. We will leave Pakistan with regret, especially for the many friends and people we leave behind. We feel like the monsoon evening sky pictured on this page, taken from the Residence terrace. It is the image that will stay with us, together with the many smiles, the hospitality and deep human feelings we were privileged to receive during our stay. I thank in particular the entire Embassy staff, past and present, for their commitment and loyalty. I thank the staff of the Residence for all they did for my family and me, and I thank all our friends who made our lives so special and made us feel at home in Pakistan. I take this opportunity to warmly welcome and recommend my successor, Mr. Frédéric Verheyden and his wife Mookda, and wish them the same enriching experience Alexandra and I had in Pakistan. They will arrive in Islamabad on August 26th. May God protect and bless you and all your loved ones always. With best regards and Khuda haafiz,

Peter Claes Ambassador of Belgium

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Credential ceremony in Kabul The loyal readers of this newsletter know that the Embassy has integrated the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in its jurisdiction following the closure of the Embassy in Kabul earlier this year. After the traditional diplomatic formalities that accompany this process took place, the Embassy received on April 25th the Embassy the agrément from the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for the appointment of Mr. Peter Claes as Ambassador of Belgium. This agrément - which is the formal approval of a diplomatic representative by the state to which he or she is to accredited - paved the way for a first official visit to Kabul of the Ambassador and his Counsellor. On June 10th the

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Ambassador had the honour to present the credential letters from His Majesty King Filip, the King of the Belgians, to H.E. Ashraf Ghani, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. He used the occasion of his visit to Kabul to visit Afghan dignitaries and prominent civil society representatives and numerous members of the Belgian and international community in Afghanistan. Visit to Youhanabad

On June 7th , the Ambassador and his diplomatic collaborator joined the Christian community of Youhanabad in Lahore in the celebration of the Holy Mass. Their visit was meant to show the solidarity of the Belgian Embassy with the families of the victims of the vicious terror attacks in March this year which claimed so many innocent lives. After the Holy Mass, the Ambassador was given the opportunity to express his words of solidarity with the people over the attacks that left a lasting impression on them. He also visited the local school and

home for the elderly run by the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary, an Order of Belgian origin very much active in Pakistan in the educational sector. “Conversations” in Lahore

On June 6th the Ambassador officially opened the exhibition “Conversations” in Nairang Gallery in Lahore. In collaboration with the National College of Arts (NCA), the exhibition featured miniatures from some of the most lavishly illustrated medieval volumes in the collection of the Royal Library of Belgium, together with their modern interpretations in the eyes of art students of the NCA in Lahore. In the 15th century Belgium consisted of various

principalities that fell into the hands of the dukes of Burgundy. The reign of the dukes of Burgundy was a period of exceptional cultural blossoming, in architecture, music and painting. The dukes were also important collectors of books: their fantastic collection of manuscripts is still the

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nucleus of the Royal Library of Belgium. It is a selection of miniatures from these manuscripts that were shown in Lahore. Last year, a number of young students trained in the discipline of miniature painting at the NCA received a copy of the miniatures and were asked to create contemporary versions of them. They were given absolute freedom in their interpretation and expression. The result was both beautiful and surprising.

“Project 132” in solidarity with the pupils of the Peshawar Army Public School After the horrific attack on the Peshawar Army Public School, the pupils of two primary schools in Differdange in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg wanted to show their solidarity with the students of the Army Public School in Peshawar and worked several months to build a work of art which they donated to the APS. The work will be installed shortly and serve as a symbol of solidarity, hope and international cooperation between children and students in the world.

Ambassador Peter Claes visits Belgian Missionary Father Willy Sterckx in Gujrat Since almost 45 years, Father Willy Sterckx, has been serving the poor in Pakistan in almost every corner of the country. Still strong and active, he is presently working in the city of Gujrat, where he serves different Catholic communities in the region and also helps the Belgian Brothers of Love with their hostel for young people and different schools. The Ambassador visited him and his community on August 6th. Father Leopold Evens honoured with the Cross of Knight in the Order of the Crown On July 9th, the Ambassador conferred the diploma and jewel of Knight in the Order of the Crown to Father Leopold Evens, who since 45 years has been working in Pakistan, mainly in

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the Punjab and since 1988 in Bhai Pheru where he has developed networks of education and healthcare for mainly families of brick kiln workers. Father Leopold was taken with a serious medical problem to Belgium, but has almost completely recovered and intends to continue his humanitarian and pastoral work in Pakistan later this year. The ceremony took place in the home in Herentals, Belgium, where he is currently convalescing.

Pre-launch of the ‘Punjab Chapter’ of the Pakistan-Belgium-Luxembourg Business Forum in Karachi Ambassador Peter Claes, during his final visit to Lahore to bid farewell to his many friends and contacts, attended a luncheon organized by the still embryonic Punjab Chapter of the since 1996 established Pakistan-Belgium Business Forum in Karachi. The informal luncheon organized by coordinator Mr. Sohail Muhammadi was well attended, amongst other with business people and representatives of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce. The formal launch will take place later this year. The Punjab Chapter aims at promoting deeper commercial and economic ties between the business centers in the Province and facilitate contacts and visits, much in line with the activities of the Forum in Karachi. Visit to Pakistan Thalassaemia Centre

On June 26th the Ambassador paid a courtesy visit to the Pakistan Thalassemia Centre in Jinnah Park in Islamabad. This Centre was recently launched by Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM), the social welfare organization of the federal government. Thalassemia is a major genetic and hereditary blood disorder that has a severe impact on public health in Pakistan, affecting thousands of adults and children. The newly created Pakistan Thalassemia Centre is the first dedicated health centre that exclusively focuses on the thousands of patients

who suffer from the misery, financial hardship and the complications of the disease and its expensive treatment. The Managing Director of Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal showed the Ambassador around in the Centre and briefed him on the working of PBM, its projects and the new initiatives for the benefit of the most marginalised people of the country.

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“Away Day”: the Embassy takes quality time off from its usual schedule

On Monday August 17th, the entire Embassy staff went on a joint excursion to Murree to spend some time together in a relaxed atmosphere and discuss informally internal matters. It was a time to get to know each other better and to taste the home made food every member was required to bring to make the potluck lunch on the lawn of the beautiful Saigol Lodge on Kashmir Point a moment to fondly remember.

“Travellers online”: the new registration website for Belgian travellers You are a Belgian national and you intend to travel to Pakistan and Afghanistan? After you have carefully read our travel advice, available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we kindly invite you to discover ‘Travellers Online’, the new registration website of Foreign Affairs.

On travellersonline.diplomatie.be, Belgians can easily and free of charge inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of their travel plans. On the website they can introduce their travel and personal details, as well as those of a contact person in Belgium. If a crisis happens in the country of destination, such as a natural disaster, an attack or an accident, the Ministry and the concerned Embassy will be able to use that information to get in touch with the compatriots and their families, in order to provide even better assistance.

'Travellers Online' currently only registers data of Belgians who travel to countries outside of the European Union, but an extension to the countries within the EU is planned.

Hockey World League in Antwerp

The Pakistan field hockey team recently travelled to Belgium to take part in the Hockey World League in Antwerp, a tournament which served as the qualifying event for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. From June 20th till July 5th, 10 men’s teams and 10 women’s teams battled each other on the grounds of Hockey Club Dragons in Brasschaat. The park was transformed into a hockey temple, where both new and long-time hockey fans were treated to a sportive event of the highest quality. Belgium once again showed that it is a true hockey loving nation.

Unfortunately, the Pakistan team could not entirely live up to the high expectations and finished in eight place, thereby failing to qualify for Rio. The Belgian team fared much better and made it to the

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final of the tournament, only to lose against reigning world champions Australia. The tickets for Rio can be safely booked.

Belgian support for the return of international cri cket in Pakistan Belgium might be better at hockey at this moment, when it comes to cricket we are no match for the Pakistani team. To symbolically support the return of international cricket matches to Pakistan, the Counsellor of the Embassy, Karel Van Hecke, decided to travel to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to watch live the last ODI between Pakistan and Zimbabwe on May 31st. Karel was generously received by several members of the Pakistan Cricket Board who commented on the match while patiently introducing him into the secrets of the game. The atmosphere in the stadium was vibrant and the many enthusiastic fans supported equally hard their national team and the visitors from Zimbabwe. Farewell events for Ambassador and Mrs. Claes

True to its beautiful reputation of hospitality and warm relations, the news of the departure of Ambassador and Mrs. Peter Claes did not go unnoticed in the Islamabad community. Invitations for farewell events abounded and not all invitations could be honoured for the simple reason of lack of time. Nevertheless, there were memorable evenings and luncheons during which the 3-year tenure of Ambassador Peter Claes, at all times actively supported by his wife Alexandra, were highlighted. The first one took already place in Karachi some weeks ago, but the events started in earnest in July

and culminated in August. Mr. Karel Van Hecke organized a stylish dinner in his house, and also the Embassy thanked the Ambassador and presented him with a beautiful gift. Colleagues who organized events include the Indian High Commissioner, the Ambassadors of Japan, Austria, Sweden and Hungary, the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Mr. Aziz Boolani, CEO of the Serena Group, the WFP Country Director and various Pakistani friends. Ambassador and Mrs. Claes finally organized their own farewell reception in their Residence on August 12th for close friends and concluded his formal stay in Pakistan with the lengthy farewell call on H.E. President Mamnoon Hussain at Aiwan-e-Sadar on August 20th, during which a fruitful and constructive exchange of views took place on Pakistan and Belgian-Pakistan relations. 2015 © Embassy of Belgium in Pakistan - http://countries.diplomatie.belgium.be/en/pakistan

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