Politicians

The Lord Mayor of the City of Stoke-on-Trent for the 2007-08 was Councillor Bagh Ali.  His consort was Miss Sophia Bagh. Bagh Ali was born in Pakistan and has lived in Stoke-on-Trent since 1970. When he first moved to the city he worked on the Michelin tyre plant, and has also worked in the local pottery industry. Since 1981, Councillor Ali has been successfully self-employed as a taxi driver.

Bashir Ahmad (12 February 1940 – 6 February 2009) was a successful British Pakistani businessman and a Scottish National Party politician. He made history when he was elected to the Scottish Parliament to represent the Glasgow region at the 2007 election, as the first MSP to be elected from Asian-Scots, Muslim and non-White backgrounds. He was born in Amritsar, British India. In 1961, at the age of 21, Ahmad emigrated to Scotland from Pakistan.

A lawyer, a businesswoman, a campaigner and a cabinet minister, Sayeeda Warsi has had many roles, but she is best known for being the first British Pakistani Muslim to serve in a British cabinet and the foremost Muslim politician in the Western world. In August 2014 she resigned from Government citing the Government’s “morally indefensible” policy on Gaza.

Kishwer Falkner was born in Pakistan and after living and working in the Middle East, came to the UK in the late seventies.  She joined the Liberal Democrats in the mid-eighties and worked for the party in several posts till 1999.  She stood as a prospective parliamentary candidate in Kensington and Chelsea in 2001, gaining the highest ethnic minority vote for Liberal Democrats in London.  She has lived in West London throughout and was a European Candidate in 2004.

Entrepreneur Shazia Awan who is of British Pakistani descent has been named the UK’s best female Asian entrepreneur at the prestigious annual Asian Women of Achievement Awards held at London’s Park Lane Hilton. Shazia who was a Conservative Parliamentary candidate in the recent general election was nominated following the success of her start-up company Peachy Pink.

The Mayor of Rochdale (2003) is Councillor Sultan Ali. The Mayoress is his wife, Shamim Akhtar. Councillor Sultan Ali was born in Sahiwal, Pakistan. He has lived in Rochdale since 1970 and has been a member of the Council since 1996. In the past, he has served on the Housing and Recreation & Community Services committees and was Vice-Chair of the External Partnership Overview & Scrutiny Panel in 2002-03.

Ghulam Rasul Shahzad is indeed a versatile person. He is shouldering quite a number of responsibilities in his different roles and capacities. He is sociable, friendly and a committed person who goes all the way to extend his help and assistance to individuals and the wider community alike. His personal achievements On 6 December 2004, Mr.Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, to a reception, invited him where he met him personally.

Yasmin Qureshi has been the Member of Parliament for Bolton South East since the 2010 General Election.
Education
She obtained a BA (Hons) Law degree and completed her Barrister at laws examinations at the Council of Legal Education. She obtained a  Master of Laws at University College London.

Anas Sarwar, MP (born 14 March 1983) is a British Labour Party politician and has been the Member of Parliament for Glasgow Central since 6 May 2010, succeeding his father Mohammad Sarwar, the first-ever British Pakistani Muslim MP in the UK. Sarwar is the acting leader of the Scottish Labour Party after Johann Lamont resigned from the post on 25 October 2014.