WASHINGTON D.C. – Web Desk: Pakistani-American physician Dr. Asif Mahmood has been reappointed as a member of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for an additional two-year term, expiring on May 14, 2028.
Speaking to Geo News, Dr. Mahmood expressed that it is a tremendous honor to be the first Pakistani, first Muslim, and first Asian to serve consecutively for a second term on this important commission. USCIRF is widely regarded as the “eyes and ears” of the White House, State Department, and Congress on matters of religious freedom worldwide.
Dr. Mahmood, who hails from Bradbury, California, and the city of Kharian in Pakistan, previously served as Vice Chair of the commission. He stated that he will strive to raise an even more effective voice for religious and human rights freedoms globally, particularly in South Asia.
During the previous commission’s final hearing held last week in a US Senate committee room, the focus was on human rights violations in India. Speaking on that occasion, Dr. Mahmood noted that even imams of mosques in occupied Kashmir are having their data collected. He urged that India be designated as a “Country of Particular Concern” for systematic violations of religious freedom.
The annual USCIRF report released in March under the leadership of Vice Chair Dr. Mahmood and Chair Wicky Hertzlev also strongly criticized India. The report called on the Trump administration to pressure India to allow USCIRF and the State Department to assess the religious freedom situation in the country. It also demanded sanctions against India’s intelligence agency RAW and the RSS, including asset freezes and travel bans to the US for relevant Indian officials and individuals.
