The US government has appointed Pakistani-American Dr. Asif Mahmood as a member of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Designated as a USCIRF Commissioner.
Named by US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to the key position. A longtime Democrat, Mahmood is only the second Pakistani-American to hold such a key role in any US administration.
Earlier, Khizr Khan, father of Gold Star, had served on the Commission from August 2021 to May 2022.
According to a press release issued by USCIRF, Asif Mahmood is a practicing physician, human rights activist, inter-racial and inter-faith community organizer and philanthropist. He led the advocacy of many human rights campaigns focused on South Asia. Mahmood was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention from 2008 to 2016 and had multiple roles in presidential campaigns. Currently, he is also the president of the Organization for Social Media Safety (OFSSMS) and a board member of Hope the Mission, one of the largest homeless shelters in California.
The US commission is an independent, bipartisan government agency that not only issues policy guidelines but also acts as a watchdog.
According to its website, “USCIRF monitors the global right to freedom of religion or belief abroad, makes policy recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress, and monitors the implementation of those recommendations.”
Around the world, the committee is best known for its critical annual report or other publications that highlight the violation of religious freedom. Its reports therefore worry countries about what policy changes to expect in the event of a serious breach.
At present the committee is headed by Abraham Cooper, with Frederick A. Davie as the Vice-Chairman. Other members include David Curry, Mohamed Magid (originally from Sudan), Stephen Schneck, Nury Turkel, Eric Ueland and Frank Wolf.
Who is Dr. Asif Mahmood
Born in a lower middle class family, Mahmood is a true example of a self-made man. He was born in a remote village of Kharian in Punjab province. To study medicine, he moved to Karachi and graduated from Sindh Medical College (SMC).
Since 1999, Mahmood lives in Pasadena, a city in the US state of California. Professionally, he is a leading pulmonologist and doctor of internal medicine. During Covid-19, he was instrumental in devising a strategy to combat the pandemic.
He also serves on the largest medical board in the United States of America. Across the state, Dr. Asif is also respected for not asking payment from those without health insurance. He believes that getting health facilities is the birthright of every individual.
Dr. Asif has also offered his services to the charitable efforts of UNICEF and many other NGOs.
Political career
Over the past 10 years, Dr Asif has also tried his hand at politics. He was the first Pakistani-American to run for Congress in the last midterm elections. He lost to incumbent Jung Kim in California’s 40th District, but is conferring with top Democratic leaders and key stakeholders.
It became more evident when Vice President Kamal Harris endorsed and supported his campaign. In fact, it was payback as during the presidential primaries, Mahmoud had preferred to support Harris over Joe Biden.
Other admirers include former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who had honored Mahmoud by organizing his political event. It was another unprecedented campaign event for any Pakistani American politician.
Others who endorsed him included State Governor Gavin Newsom, US Senator Cory Booker, Alex Padilla, Tim Kaine, Bob Menendez and Adam Schiff. A number of US House representatives, including Greg Meeks, Karen Bass, Lou Correa, Pete Aguilar, Ro Hanna, Amy Bera, Jim Costa, Barbara Lee, Tony Cardenas, Jimmy Levine, Judy Chu, Sarah Jacobs, Ted Lieu, Alan Lowendal, Katie His candidacy was equally supported by Porter, Brad Sherman, Norma Torres and Eleni Kounalaki.
Earlier, he ran unsuccessfully for California Insurance Commissioner. However, he received more votes than any other Muslim-American in the history of the United States of America.
Connection with Pakistan
Mahmood has good relations with the leaders of major political parties in Pakistan including PTI, PPP, PML-N and PML-Q.
He is a frequent visitor to his homeland. Last year, Mahmood visited Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi where he met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Faryal Talpur and Sindh Governor Muhammad Kamran Khan Tessori.
Mahmood is also credited with lobbying for the historic Congressional hearing on Kashmir in 2019. The hearing was held after India took illegal and unilateral steps in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir to change its status.
Mahmood was the only Pakistani-American to testify before Congress. He said, “The people of Kashmir are not alone and we will stand with them until each and every one of them secures their basic human rights.”
This is one of the reasons why his appointment as a member of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom will raise eyebrows in New Delhi.
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