Pakistani-American Mansoor Qureshi appointed adviser to Virginia governor

In a positive development, Mansoor Qureshi has become the first Pakistani-American to serve as an adviser to the Virginia governor.

Qureshi is among those who are directly delegated responsibilities by the state’s Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin.

Praising newly-appointed personalities including Qureshi, Governor Youngkin said he was confident that their leadership would help the administration strengthen the spirit of Virginia and achieve remarkable progress for the Commonwealth.

In an exclusive conversation with Geo News, Qureshi thanked Governor Youngkin for reposing trust in his abilities to serve the state.

"I am honoured to serve on this esteemed board and contribute to Virginia’s growth and development. I look forward to working with Governor Youngkin and my fellow board members to address the needs of our diverse communities and strengthen ties with Asian nations," he said.

Basically, the Virginia Asian Advisory Board (VAAB) serves as a formal liaison between the administration and the diverse and rapidly growing Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities in the Commonwealth.

On his part, Qureshi will advise the governor on ways to enhance economic and cultural ties between the Commonwealth and Asian nations including Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

His prime focus will be "areas of commerce and trade, art and education, and general government; as well as issues affecting the Asian community in the commonwealth."

"My top priority is to address issues faced by different communities and ensure those in need are helped by the governor," the adviser said.

Talking about his state, Qureshi said that Muslims, Indians and Pakistanis are the most educated and powerful communities. Their doctors, engineers and entrepreneurs play crucial roles in the state economy, he added. "Yet, they are not politically active. They least know how to get their issues resolved or seek [the] government help in bad times."

In order to bridge this gap, he vowed to serve as a bridge between different communities and the governor, he added.

Quoting figures from a Muslim organisation, Qureshi said that out of 400,000 Muslims living in Virginia, 250,000 are registered voters. As far as Pakistani Americans are concerned, their registered voters are around 40,000.

Qureshi says that these numbers can play a decisive role in state assembly or state senate elections.

He remarked that ethnic minorities hailing from Asia are unhappy with the current educational system that is "making it mandatory for young students to study extreme liberal ideologies".

"In living rooms, they also lament about discrimination, but prefer to stay at home on the polling day," he added.

The governor's aide also stressed that ethnic and religious minorities should play an active role in politics and seek internships or jobs at the offices of the legislatures.

From Nawabshah to Virginia

Mansoor Qureshi was born in Nawabshah and studied at Cadet College Petaro. Later, he moved to Karachi and studied civil engineering at NED University.

In 2001, as a young man, he moved to the US and enrolled in a Masters programme at Georgetown University. It was unfortunate that he got diagnosed with cancer and had to quit research work to undergo treatment.

However, today, he is a cancer survivor and serving the state as an IT professional, entrepreneur and specialist in staffing and recruitment.

Qureshi has big aims to turn Virginia into a global hub. He is planning to improve ties between his current state and his ancestral country, Pakistan.

For that, he is devising a strategy to increase economic relations between Richmond and Islamabad.

Qureshi has been active in American politics for the last 15 years but has never contested an election.

Yet, he had played a significant role in the campaign of Juan Pablo Segura who ran for Virginia Senate District 31.

Segura, a staunch Republican had lost to his Democrat rival Russet Perry. Yet, his campaign had become memorable for its Pakistani-style Jalibi-Biryani and Pakora-Samosa campaign events.

Those parties gave a boost to Seguar’s popularity and mobilised the South Asian community to a great extent. Hence, Seguara becomes the top advocate for Qureshi to be nominated as an advisor to the governor.

It is strange that Virginia had never had a Pakistani-American elected to the State Assembly or State Senate.

Atif Qarni, a Pakistani-American and former Marine Corps Reservist, has tried his luck in the 10th Congressional District. However, he lost the June 18, 2024 Democratic primary.

Qarni had also unsuccessfully contested elections for the Virginia State Senate in 2015 and the Virginia House of Delegates elections in 2013.

With that in mind, Qureshi’s appointment is also lauded by the American-Pakistani community.

After all, his appointment comes at a time when the US is taken over by a Republican wave. And, all the elected Pakistani-Americans to State Houses and State Senates are Democrats.