Pakistani expatriate elected as parish councillor in UK's Chiseldon

A Saudi-born Pakistani, who holds Irish citizenship, was elected as the parish councillor in Chiseldon, United Kingdom, in the predominantly white town of Swindon, England two weeks ago.

Fareed Qidwai is a pharmaceutical professional and a member of a small party called Liberal Democrat. He rose through the ranks recently and was chosen as the treasurer of the Swindon Liberal Democrat. He was also the party's election campaign manager back in 2021. Two years on, this is the party’s first victory.

In 2023, the party made history by fielding candidates from every ward in Swindon Borough. Due to the bad performance of the ruling party (the Conservatives), the general public was very disillusioned and unsatisfied, which is why they were turning to smaller parties as an alternative.

Moreover, Qidwai has contributed immensely to the local community in Chiseldon, which resulted in his victory.

Qidwai is also running for two other elections as a candidate for South Swindon Central Parish (Lawn & Badbury Park) and also for Swindon Borough Council.

Qidwai says that his journey in politics started at the grassroots level when he was a teenager. He participated in an anti-racism campaign and represented Irish Muslim youth, and attended an inter-religious workshop in Strasbourg (France) at the Parliament of Europe. This is where, as a young teenager, he saw the power of the European Union and how different nations got together to make Europe a better place to live.

Later on, when the Brexit referendum took place in the United Kingdom in 2016, Qidwai resigned from his job in Ireland and moved to the UK to join the struggle to rejoin the EU. Later that year, Fareed moved to Swindon and started an anti-Brexit group: Swindon for Europe.

He also co-founded Plastic Free Swindon and arranged a cricket and Badminton Club for the residents. He also fundraised and actively worked for the local primary schools.