Yasar Bashir, a Pakistani-American police officer, has become the first Muslim assistant chief in the United States as he was appointed as the head of the family violence department in Houston Police last week. 

Bashir, born in Lahore, Pakistan, migrated to the United States in 1985 at the age of 8. He completed his education in finance but later joined the police. “I liked it (police) so much that I went back to the university (of Houston-Clear Lake) and did a master’s in criminology,” he was quoted as saying by Dawn. 

On his decision to the join police in the US, he said, “the very first day, I decided to stay. I had studied finance for three years but went back to school to study criminology.” “It’s exciting. It’s different and allows you to have a positive impact on others,” he added.  

He started his training in 2001 and was in the police academy during the attack of 9/11. 

Being a Muslim and South Asian, when he was asked if he ever felt discriminated in the US, he responded, “Houston is very different, and has a truly diverse and open culture. It’s one of the best cities in the US. I received so much love and affection from my fellow officers that I will disagree with the suggestion.”