Bashir Ahmad (politician)

Infobox MSP
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name = Bashir Ahmad
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constituency_MP = Glasgow
parliament = Scottish
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term_start = 3 May 2007
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birth_date = Birth date and age|1940|02|12|df=yes
birth_place = British India
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party = Scottish National Party
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Bashir Ahmad (born February 12 1940) is a Scottish National Party politician. He was elected to the Scottish Parliament to represent the Glasgow region at the 2007 election, he was also the first MSP to be elected from an Asian-Scots background. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6622915.stm BBC NEWS | Scotland | Glasgow and West | First Asian MSP goes to Holyrood ] ]

Early life

Born in, Karachi, British India, he was brought up in Pakistan, he emigrated to Scotland in 1961, at the age of 21, settling in the Pollokshields district of Glasgow. Here, he achieved success as an entrepreneur, hotelier, and restaurateur. He served five terms as president of the Pakistan Welfare Association. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/5133456.stm] BBC News report, Friday, 30 June 2006]

Political career

Ahmad has long been active in the SNP. In 1995, he founded Asian Scots for Independence to attract more Asian-Scots to the party. He retired from business in 2003 to devote himself to politics. In that year's elections, he was elected councillor of Pollokshields East.

Upon his selection as second on the SNP's Glasgow list, Ahmad said: "The lack of any Asian or ethnic minority voice in the Scottish Parliament has been felt deeply in my community. But SNP members have righted that wrong. By doing so, they have proved that the SNP aspires to lead a Scottish Parliament that will represent all of Scotland - a truly national parliament. I firmly believe the SNP can now earn the trust of the Asian community throughout Scotland and that this will be a bond that endures for generations."

During the 2007 elections, Ahmad was elected to the Scottish Parliament on the Glasgow regional list. He thus became the first non-white MSP. [ [http://www.iwitness.co.uk/scottish/0706s-01.htm] Interview with The iWitness, Scotland's Muslim Newspaper] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6622865.stm] BBC election report, Friday, 4 May 2007] He took his oath of office in the Urdu language.

See also

* Pollokshields
* Asian-Scots

References