Two young Pakistani-Americans have made history in the US state of Massachusetts after being elected to the offices of mayor and deputy mayor in the city of Cambridge for the first time.
In elections held on January 5, Karachi-born Sumbul Siddiqui was elected mayor of Cambridge for the 2026–27 term, marking her third tenure in the role. Meanwhile, Burhan Azeem, originally from Burewala, Punjab, was elected as Cambridge’s youngest-ever deputy mayor.
Sumbul Siddiqui, a lawyer by profession, has been actively involved in American politics for several years. She was first elected to the Cambridge City Council in 2017 and previously served as mayor twice between 2020 and 2024.
In the history of Massachusetts, Siddiqui holds the distinction of being Cambridge’s first Muslim mayor and the first Asian woman to be elected mayor for a third consecutive term.
On the other hand, Burhan Azeem is the son of Professor Munir Chaudhry and an engineering graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston. He has already made his mark in local politics by becoming the youngest councillor in Cambridge’s history.
With his re-election as a councillor for a second term, Azeem has now also become the youngest deputy mayor in the city’s history, further highlighting the growing representation of Pakistani-Americans in US local governance.
