Tulsi Gabbard set to become first Hindu in US Congress

Washington, August 13: Honolulu City Councilwoman Tulsi Gabbard has a great chance to become the first Hindu member of the US House of Representatives in 2013 with her primary victory in a safe Democratic seat.

Though a practicing Hindu and a strict vegetarian, Gabbard is not of Indian origin. Her father Mike Gabbard, who is a state senator, is from American Samoa. Her mother Carol Porter Gabbard, a white American, is a practicing Hindu. Her father is a Catholic.

Gabbard, 31, won the Democratic Party nomination in Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District Sunday with a decisive 55 percent vote in the primary with closest rival former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann getting 34 percent.

Four other candidates divided the remainder of the vote. Democratic Representative Mazie Hirono left the seat open when she decided to run for the Senate.

Born in 1981 in Leloaloa, American Samoa, she the fourth of five Gabbard children. When she was two, the family moved to Hawai'i, also the birthplace of President Barack Obama.

Dalip Singh Saund, the first Indian-American to be elected to the US in 1956, was a Sikh. Current Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal who became the second in 2004 had converted to Christianity while in high school.

Though not of Indian origin, Gabbard promises to be a representative for all the Indians in the US.

"Based on my strong affinity for India and Indian culture, as well as my warm love for the country and its people, I will always make myself available to hear the concerns of the Indian Diaspora and do my best to be of assistance," she said.

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Pak jail authorities say Imran Khan is alive and healthy after ‘murder’ rumours spark panic

News Network

November 27,2025

Authorities at Pakistan’s high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Wednesday dismissed speculation about the condition of imprisoned former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, rejecting rumours that he had been moved out of the facility or was in danger. Officials said Khan was in “good health” and described the viral death claims as “baseless.”

“There is no truth to reports about his transfer from Adiala Jail,” the Rawalpindi prison administration said in a statement, according to Geo News. “He is fully healthy and receiving complete medical attention.”

Amid swirling rumours on social media, Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), urged the federal government to issue an official clarification and demanded that authorities allow his family to meet him immediately, Dawn reported.

The frenzy began after Khan’s three sisters called for an impartial probe into what they described as a “brutal” police assault on them and other PTI supporters outside Adiala Jail last week. Soon after, several social media handles circulated unverified claims alleging that Khan had been “killed” inside the prison.

The rumours intensified when a handle named “Afghanistan Times” claimed that “credible sources” had confirmed Khan’s “murder” and that his body had been moved out of the jail — allegations that have not been verified by any credible agency.

Imran Khan, PTI’s patron-in-chief, has been lodged in the Rawalpindi prison since August 2023 in multiple cases. For over a month, an undeclared restriction has prevented family members and senior PTI leaders from meeting him. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has reportedly been denied access despite making seven attempts.

In a letter to Punjab Police Chief Usman Anwar, Khan’s sisters — Noreen Niazi, Aleema Khan, and Dr. Uzma Khan — said they were “peacefully protesting” outside the jail when police allegedly launched an unprovoked assault after streetlights were switched off.

“At 71, I was seized by my hair, thrown to the ground and dragged across the road,” Noreen Niazi said, alleging that other women present were also slapped and manhandled.

Adiala Jail officials reiterated that speculation over Imran Khan’s health was unfounded and insisted that his well-being was being ensured, Geo News reported.

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