WASHINGTON: Ilhan Omar, who made history as one of the first two Muslim women elected to the US Congress, arrived in Islamabad early Wednesday on a four-day visit to Pakistan.

Ms Omar and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, elected in 2018, are the first women to represent Muslims in Congress.

Ms Omar, a Somali-born former refugee, is also the first naturalised citizen of African birth in Congress, and the first woman of colour to represent Minnesota. In the general elections, she won 78.0 percent of the votes cast, the largest percentage by any female candidate in Minnesota’s history. She was sworn in on a copy of the Holy Quran owned by her grandfather.

Ms Omar, who arrived in the early hours of Wednesday, will stay in Pakistan till April 24. She is scheduled to visit Lahore and Azad Kashmir and will also meet the country’s new leadership.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2022