APPAC hosted a virtual meeting to show solidarity to the Kashmiri people who have suffered human rights violations, and bring attention to the severity of these violations, and call for equality on Kashmir Solidarity Day on February 5, 2021.
We were joined by US Senator Bob Menendez, Congressman Tom Suozzi, and Honorable US Ambassador Dr. Asad Majeed Khan along with prominent leaders of the Pakistani-American community to show our solidarity.
Watch the full virtual event:
APPAC held our first national APPAC Inauguration Awards Ceremony to recognize and honor leaders within the Pakistani community that mobilized their community and provided their insight and expertise to achieving groundbreaking results in US elections, especially in key battleground states, this past year.
This past election season, members of Pakistanis for Biden helped mobilize record numbers of voters that led to a historic victory. Their efforts were crucial and continued to help flip key battleground states, including Georgia in this past run-off election. It is time to look back on and celebrate our collective accomplishments!
Award Recipients:
Category: Pakistanis For Biden Community Mobilization Award Recipients: Azra Siddiqi, Texas and Essam Choudhry, Illinois
Category: U.S. Congressional Analytics and Mobilization Award Recipients: Dr. Ameena Zia, North Carolina, Dr. Rao Kamran Ali, Texas, and Assad Ghani, Illinois
Category: Pakistanis For Biden Youth & Young Professionals Award Recipients: Aaliyah Khawaja, Arizona, Waleed Hussain, Ohio
Category: Pakistanis For Biden Battleground State Mobilization: Rahim Shah Akhunkhail, Georgia, Amjad Baig, Ohio
Watch the full ceremony:
APPAC had the honor of hosting Congressman Gregory Meeks for APPAC’s second Congressional meet-and-greet of 2021 on January 27th. 2021.
As Chair to the Foreign Affairs Committee, we are grateful for Congressman Meeks’ steadfast commitment to ending human rights violations globally. We discussed many international relation topics with Congressman Meeks, including ending the human rights violations in Kashmir and India, and ways to strengthen the relationship between the U.s. and Pakistan, an essential ally in a vital region of the world, resulting in better economic and security outcomes from Americans here and our troops worldwide.
APPAC was humbled to do a small part by bringing IFTAR to NYPD’s 81st Precinct in Brooklyn. In addition, a large donation of PPE was also given to the Police officers at the precinct. While many in NYC area are staying home during the lockdown, NYPD officers are still on the clock, still coming to work every day and doing an outstanding job despite the difficult work as well as the personal toll the virus has had on the officers, some have lost loved ones to the disease but still return to work. At the same time, some gave the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good of society.
APPAC delivered PPE to the Cumberland Diagnostic and Treatment Center, Gotham Health, in Brooklyn, NY. According to Michel Clarke, Executive Director of Gotham Health, “Our healthcare professional goes through an average of 75 to 90 PPEs per day, and we still have about 100 patients walking in every day to get tested.” Thanks to the generous donations from our supporters, APPAC will be delivering over 35,000 PPE supplies over the next few weeks to much-needed area community hospitals, private hospitals, first responders, and ambulance companies who are still continually acquiring PPEs.
Our Executive Director, Ather Tirmizi, spoke with Dr. Nasar Qureshi who has a PhD in Virology and Immunology about the steps we need to take when reopening the economy.
Diversification within government can’t happen unless we have a pipeline of people of qualified candidates.
The APPAC community held a virtual meeting with Congresswoman Grace Meng from the 6th Congressional District of NY. After last week’s attack on the Capitol, we were relieved that she and her staffers were unharmed.
Civic engagement continues to be low within our communities. We’re working to bridge that gap through relationships with public officials like Congresswoman Meng, to help create sustainable pathways towards authentic diversification within our government that truly represents all of its people.
We joined Congresswoman Grace Meng to discuss the state of the country, issues affecting Asian-American and immigrant populations, and how we can continue to mobilize to advocate for our community.
Dr. Mahmood Alam is a well-known community activist with a long history of working towards the betterment of Pakistani Americans. He was excited to become part of this new and exciting movement across the nation. Senior US Senator from NJ, Sen. Bob Menendez, also attended this exciting event. An ardent supporter of the people of Kashmir valley and a great friend of the Pakistani American community was excited to be part of the history in the making. A Simple message of creating grassroots level resources and giving tools to the Pakistani American to get actively involved and run for their local offices resonates with the Pakistani Americans across the United States. While at the same time, Engaging the leaders in the congress on the importance of understanding and engaging Pakistan-Americans and understanding Pakistan’s culture is a high selling point.
With the same spirit APPAC, APPNA New York and APPNA Alliance came together to bring lunches to those who are putting their lives at risk to ensure others are saved. Even though it may just be a drop in a bucket but the police precincts in Nassau, Queens, and Brooklyn are grateful for this humble gesture.
APPAC was honored to have been invited to Washington DC to have a seat at the table with the leadership of the US Senate, including Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, Sen. Bob Menendez, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto. 2020 priorities for APPAC for the US Senate are to create a political will among the Senate leadership for them to appoint the first Muslim American to a Federal judgeship. In addition, there was an extensive conversation regarding human rights abuses taking place in the Kashmir Valley.
