Congressman Bilirakis
Joins the Pakistan Caucus
Washington,
DC: The Pakistani American Leadership Center (PAL-C) welcomes
Congressman Michael Bilirakis, a Republican from Florida,
to the Congressional Pakistan Caucus.
Congressman Bilirakis was first elected to Congress on November
2, 1982, and has been reelected to each succeeding Congress.
His committee assignments in the 109th Congress include membership
on the Energy and Commerce Committee, where he serves as Vice-Chairman
of the full Committee and a member of the Health, Telecommunications
and the Internet, and Energy and Air Quality Subcommittees.
Congressman Bilirakis is also the Vice-Chairman of the Veterans’
Affairs Committee and Chairman of the Oversight Subcommittee.
“Congressman Bilirakis’s leadership role on health
reform and his strong advocacy for medical research make him
an important member for one of the top five issues that concern
the Pakistani American community” said Aisha Chapra,
Executive Director of PAL-C, a Washington-based group working
with the Congressional Pakistan Caucus.
Mariam Issa, a director of PAL-C, said “that increasing
membership on the Congressional Pakistan Caucus is entirely
a community effort that each Pakistani living in the US should
give utmost importance to”.
PAL-C director, Pervaiz Lodhie, added that “even the
smallest contribution of time will help create a grassroots
movement while PAL-C will do its best to maintain the movement’s
momentum.”
The Congressional Pakistan Caucus was launched last year in
September by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf at a ceremony
on Capitol Hill.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) and Congressman Dan
Burton (R-IN) are two co-chairs of the Caucus.
“The establishment of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus,
which is an official entity of the United States Congress,
is an historic event,” Congresswoman Lee said. Lee also
termed the Caucus as the fastest growing Caucus on the Hill.
PAL-C is dedicated to educating American public on issues
related to Pakistan and Pakistani Americans.
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