I was unaware of what WordCamps or even WordPress meetups were until 2016 — despite having worked on countless WordPress websites while providing technical support to some of the largest web-hosting companies.
It was around that time that I joined 10up as a Systems Engineer. At 10up, every employee is given a professional development budget, and many of my colleagues used it to attend WordCamps and open-source conferences around the world. My project manager encouraged me to attend one in my country too.
Curious, I started looking for upcoming WordCamps in Pakistan — but to my surprise, there were none. Neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and India were already hosting successful WordCamps, yet Pakistan didn’t have a single one. That realization shocked me — and sparked a mission within me to bring WordCamps to Pakistan.
Starting From Scratch
While researching, I found a WordPress Meetup chapter in Islamabad, but it was almost inactive. At the time, I lived in a remote area near the capital, so I reached out to my cousin Tahir Shahzad, who was based in Islamabad. He told me there was another WordPress enthusiast from Automattic, Sajid Javed, who had earlier tried to activate the community but couldn’t continue due to lack of support.
We decided to meet and discuss how to revive the meetup. That first meeting turned out to be a turning point. We began organizing monthly meetups — but it wasn’t easy. We had to find venues, arrange logistics, and often pay out of our own pockets for things like snacks and refreshments.
Despite all the challenges, our small organizing team stayed determined — and in 2018, we finally hosted the second-ever WordCamp in Pakistan, right here in Islamabad. (WordCamp Karachi took a lead of just a month)
Building Momentum
The success of the first event gave us hope, and soon we organized our second WordCamp in 2019, where I had the honor of serving as the Lead Organizer. The event was a milestone for the community — bringing developers, designers, bloggers, and entrepreneurs together to celebrate WordPress in Pakistan.
Then came COVID-19, which halted everything for nearly two years. No meetups, no WordCamps — the entire world stood still.
But as things improved, we passed the lead role to Tahir Shahzad, restarted monthly meetups in late 2022, and slowly regained our rhythm. By early 2023, with new organizers on board, we successfully hosted our third WordCamp — reigniting the community spirit once again.
The Biggest WordCamp Yet (Islamabad 2025)
Momentum was a bit low in 2024, but in 2025 things changed dramatically. Tahir and Kashif, two of our dedicated organizers, took charge and brought fresh energy into the team. Together, we organized multiple meetups throughout the year, which eventually led to the biggest WordCamp in Islamabad’s history.
Our 4th WordCamp, held in 2025, was a landmark event.
- The Contributor Day saw 107 attendees actively participating and learning how to contribute to WordPress.
- On the main conference day, we ran two parallel speaker tracks, featuring 19 amazing speakers delivering insightful talks, workshops, and panel discussions.
As the Speakers Wrangler, I had the privilege of coordinating with all the speakers — and it was truly exciting to have Adam Silverstein (WordPress Core Contributor and 10up alum) join us online to deliver his talk on AI and WordPress.
This time, our organizing team was the largest ever — ten members strong — and everyone played a vital role in making the event a huge success.
Paying Tribute to the Community
As I look back at this journey — from that first idea in 2016 to our latest event in 2025 — I feel nothing but pride and gratitude. None of this would have been possible without the dedicated organizers, volunteers, sponsors, and attendees who made every WordCamp a celebration of learning, sharing, and community spirit.
A heartfelt thank-you to:
- All the organizers — past and present — who gave their time, energy, and creativity to make these events possible.
- Our sponsors, whose continued support has helped us sustain and grow the community.
- And of course, every attendee, who showed up, shared knowledge, made connections, and kept the WordPress flame alive in Pakistan.
Looking Ahead
What started as a small idea — a wish to have a WordCamp in Pakistan — has now become a thriving WordPress community. We’ve faced challenges, celebrated milestones, and built friendships along the way.
Today, WordPress professionals, developers, designers, and enthusiasts from across Pakistan are connecting, collaborating, and contributing — proving that the WordPress spirit of open-source and community is truly alive in our country.
In the future, I also hope to see my company, Cloud Control Panel, participate as a sponsor for upcoming WordCamps in Pakistan.
As organizers, we often struggle to secure sponsorship from local communities, so having more support from within Pakistan’s growing tech ecosystem can make these events even stronger.
The story of WordCamps in Pakistan is still being written — and it’s one of passion, persistence, and people coming together to make a difference.
Moral: If you see something that’s not happening right — don’t wait for someone else to fix it.
Take initiative, start working on it, and be the change you want to see in your community.
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