Sada-e-Watan Sydney ™
sadaewatan@gmail.com
Syed Zafar Hussain & Dr. Ashraf Choudhary MP NZ
Dr. Ashraf Choudhary re-elected as First Pakistani & First Muslim Member Parliament of New Zealand
Dear Zafar Sahib,
I thought to let you know that I have been re-elected as Member of Parliament of
New Zealand for a third three year term. I remain the sole Muslim MP in our
Parliament. The election on 8th November was very competitive and regretfully
after nine years in office our Labour Party lost the elections this time.
However, the Labour government in New Zealand under Prime Minister Rt. Hon.
Helen Clark has been very proud of its achievements both internally as well as
internationally.
I hope one day you come to New Zealand and meet with our Pakistani community. I
shall be delighted to host you.
Kind Regards,
Ashraf
Dr Ashraf Choudhary QSO
Member of Parliament
New Zealand.
Dr. Ashraf Choudhary, MP
Dr. Ashraf Choudhary made
history in becoming the first-ever elected Pakistani MP to the New Zealand
Parliament! He again, made history by becoming the first New Zealand
parliamentarian to swear allegiance on the Quran. Choudhury, a Labor MP, went
ahead with his plans to take oath on the Quran in the face of criticism that he
was breaking a "centuries-old tradition" by doing so, but he had to bring his
own Quran on which to take the oath. Choudhary donated his Quran to
parliamentary officials, who did not have one.
Choudhary, born to a poor farming family in Sialkot Punjab province before
migrating to New Zealand in 1976. A Pakistani agro-scientist, Dr. Ashraf
Chaudhry, a graduate of Faisalabad's Agriculture University, pursued higher
studies in UK and after obtaining his doctorate, found a job in Massey
University of New Zealand where he had been teaching as professor. He left the
university after election as Member of Parliament. While Dr. Chaudhry was
nominated by the Labor Party, with which he was associated as a candidate no
less for his distinguished contribution to agriculture sector. He specializes in
agricultural engineering, his internationally recognized work into 'zero
tillage' -- ways of planting crops without ploughing. The technology he helped
develop has been used around the world and he is an international authority on
conservation tillage technology.
It's a long way from the Punjab, his village of 'Jajy' near Sialkot, to
Palmerston North in New Zealand. And it's even further from life as a peasant to
a politician. But these are both journeys Ashraf Choudhary has made. The
enthusiasm, courage, and determination has rewarded him appropriately. Despite
of his living in New Zealand since 1976, Dr. Ashraf Choudhary has never
forgotten his Brothers and Sisters back home or his village 'Jajy'!
His parents were illiterate, never having the opportunity to go to school,
instead working their small holding at Jajy as the family had done for
generations. But Mohammed Boota was adamant his son wouldn't suffer the same
'blindness' he had. With nine children, the peasant farmer couldn't afford to
send all his children to school so it was Ashraf, the oldest son, who was chosen
to carry the family's hopes. Dr. Ashraf Choudhary remembers the 13km round trip
he used to make by foot to his school in Sialkot! He remembers all the
sacrifices that his parents had made so that he could continue with his
education. He remembers as to how his family managed to save enough to send him
to Faisalabad to study agriculture.
He is living happily with wife Samina, who is from Lahore, and three children,
Anwar, Mehreen and Atif.
"These feelings for the underdog have always been with me.", he says.
He points to his expertise in farming, education, science and research, the
environment and conservation and hopes he doesn't end up just being a spokesman
for minority ethnic groups. He regularly visits Pakistan where his sisters and
brothers remain, along with hundreds of memories from his childhood.
"It's been a long journey for me and I'm very proud of all that."
