Mohammed Asghar
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Mohammad Asghar AM |
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Mohammad Asghar , June 2016
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| Member of the Welsh Assembly for South Wales East |
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Assumed office 3 May 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Laura Anne Jones |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
30 September 1945 Peshawar, North West Frontier Province, British India (Now in Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa, Pakistan) |
| Political party | Welsh Conservative Party |
| Other political affiliations |
Plaid Cymru (until 2009) Welsh Labour Party (mid 1990s) |
| Religion | Islam |
| Website | www.mohammadasghar.org.uk |
Mohammad Asghar (born 30 September 1945), known as Oscar, is a Welsh politician, who has been a member of the Welsh Conservative Party, the Welsh Labour Party, and Plaid Cymru. He came to prominence after being elected to the Welsh Assembly in 2007 as a member of Plaid Cymru on the list for South Wales East. He is best known for being the first ethnic minority and Muslim member of the Assembly, and being the first AM who was a member of a political party to defect to another party.
Born in Peshawar, then in British India, he was the only child to Aslam Khan and Zubaida Aslam. Asghar gained a BA from Peshawar University before moving to Wales to complete a course in accountancy in Newport. Asghar initially joined the Conservative party, remaining a member for some two decades, later joining the Labour party in the 1990s. He joined Plaid Cymru some time after becoming Wales’ first Muslim councillor, representing Victoria ward on Newport City Council. He has stood for Plaid Cymru in general elections. His daughter Natasha Asghar — central to several scandals involving her father's career — also stood as a Plaid Cymru candidate in the 2007 Elections, and also joined the Conservative party at the same time he did so.
On 8 December 2009, Asghar became the first AM to cross the floor, defecting from Plaid Cymru to the Conservative Party. He claimed that he felt "out of tune" with Plaid policies, described himself as a royalist and unionist, and stated that he felt like "a little parrot in a jungle". Plaid Cymru called on Asghar to resign his seat following his defection.
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