Pakistan and the US Congress

Banned1 naturalized US Congress member

Only Pakistani citizens may vote. Non-citizen residents have no voting rights. Pakistan does not recognize dual citizenship from most countries.

Non-citizen voting banned

The Pakistan-to-Congress story

Pakistan has produced 1 naturalized citizen who went on to serve in the US Congress — 0 in the House of Representatives and 1 in the Senate. 1 is currently serving, while 0 have completed their congressional careers. That career began in 2017, during the modern Congress. All of them represented MD in Washington.

Pakistan reserves the ballot for its own citizens: non-native-born residents cannot vote in any election there, no matter how long they have lived in the country. Specifically: Only Pakistani citizens may vote. Non-citizen residents have no voting rights. Pakistan does not recognize dual citizenship from most countries.

Every Pakistan-born member tracked here has served as Democrats. That produces a striking asymmetry with the United States, which not only naturalized this member but then elected them to help write federal law. A naturalized American who returned to Pakistan would have no such political voice there. Across the full history of the US Congress, Pakistan ranks 35th of 38 tracked birth countries, accounting for 1 naturalized-citizen lawmaker.

Put plainly: a person born in Pakistan can be entrusted by American voters with a seat in the US Congress, writing federal law for hundreds of millions of people. Yet the same person, if they returned to Pakistan, would be barred from casting even a single ballot there. That is the contrast this tracker exists to surface.

1Total members
1Currently serving
0House
1Senate

Currently serving

Frequently asked questions

Can a naturalized US citizen born in Pakistan serve in the US Congress?

Yes. The US Constitution requires only that a Representative be a US citizen for at least seven years and a Senator for nine years; there is no birth-country restriction. Every member listed above met that standard.

Does Pakistan allow naturalized or non-native-born residents to vote?

Banned. Only Pakistani citizens may vote. Non-citizen residents have no voting rights. Pakistan does not recognize dual citizenship from most countries.

How many members of the US Congress were born in Pakistan?

1 in total across the years tracked — 0 in the House and 1 in the Senate. Of those, 1 is still serving today.