Ambassador Masood Khan Visits First Pakistani-American Magistrate Judge
By Elaine Pasquini

Washington: On March 27, 2024, Masood Khan, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, visited the US District Court for the District of Columbia and met with Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui.

Ambassador Khan was warmly received by Magistrate Judge Faruqui, who accompanied him to his chamber in the E. Barrett Prettyman US Courthouse in downtown Washington.

Magistrate Judge Faruqui is the first Pakistani American to serve as a US Magistrate Judge and was appointed to this post on September 14, 2020. He received a BA and JD from Georgetown University. Following law school, he was a litigation associate at the law firm of Willkie Farr & Gallagher in Washington, DC, where he focused on government investigations and general commercial litigation. Judge Faruqui then served for twelve years as a federal prosecutor in the US Attorney’s Offices in St Louis and Washington DC. While there he prosecuted cases involving terrorists' use of cryptocurrency, North Korean weapons proliferation, darknet sites dedicated to child exploitation, and theft of antiquities. He also represented the Department of Justice at numerous conferences across the globe on financial crimes, cryptocurrency, and national security issues.

Judge Faruqui is also a member of the Board of Advisors of the Muslim Americans in Public Service organization, in addition to being a member of the Advisory Board of the renowned Georgetown Law School. 

During their meeting, the ambassador and the judge discussed bilateral cooperation, especially in the area of education and student exchange programs. Noting the growing visibility of Pak-US nationals in the mainstream of US life, Ambassador Khan termed them an abiding link between Pakistan and the United States. 

Lauding the growing visibility of the vibrant Pak-American community, Ambassador Khan also said that it was a matter of pride for the community to see the growing role of the Pakistani diaspora in making their valuable contributions to US society. 

Judge Faruqui accepted the ambassador’s gracious invitation to visit Pakistan.

Before departing, Ambassador Masood Khan, along with officers of the Embassy, also observed court proceedings in the Honorable Judge Zia M. Faruqui’s courtroom.

(Elaine Pasquini is a freelance journalist. Her reports appear in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs and Nuze.Ink.)