Daily Times

Pakistani-American Abrahim Javed’s effort to become Commissioner for Fort Bend County, Texas, has suffered a shocking defeat amid allegations of serious corruption, past convictions and violation of electoral rules.

Abrahim Javed received 3530 votes at 28% while his rival wing candidate Taral Patel secured 6426 votes at a whopping 51 %.

This was no ordinary election because the tranquil neighbourhoods of Fort Bend County were thrust into the spotlight by the enigmatic emergence of Abrahim Tahir Javed, born and raised in Beaumont, Texas, who was running to become the Commissioner for Fort Bend County, Sugar Land, Texas. He is the son of Muhammad Tahir Javed, the Texas businessman who was last year sacked by Pakistan’s prime minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar from the position of Overseas Investment Advisor after Javed’s previous fraud convictions in the United States came to the surface.

Abrahim Javed’s bid for commissioner sparked a fervent debate with allegations ranging from residency violations to potential legal repercussions. Abrahim Javed was accused of attempting to garner support along sectarian lines, pitting Pakistani voters against Indian voters.

Texas Ethics Commission’s decision to investigate Abrahim Tahir Javed for accepting unauthorised campaign contributions and for failing to file a campaign treasure appointment in violation of the election rules played a big role in his defeat.

The Texas Ethics Commission said, as soon as the election campaign started, that it was investigating Abrahim Tahir Javed under case number SC-32309260 where the candidate was alleged to have failed filing a treasurer appointment in violation of Section 252.001 of the Election Code; and knowingly accepted campaign contributions of authorized campaign expenditures at a time when campaign treasurer appointment was not in effect in violation of Section 253.031.

In 2018, Muhammad Tahir Javed also announced to run for the Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Position. However, he was also slapped with a Texas Ethics Commission investigation – case SC 32306211, causing him to back out.

In November last year, PM Kakar’s office announced the appointment notification of the SAPM Mohammad Tahir Javed has been taken back. The notification to appoint Tahir Javed as Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Investment was issued on October 6 but the decision was taken to remove him on intelligence and media reports that Tahir Javed had a previous conviction for theft which he hid and didn’t declare. There was even an attempt to influence the Jefferson County Clerk’s office to provide an unverified and unsubstantiated letter to the Government of Pakistan falsely claiming that Javed did not have any criminal history. However, that attempt failed and Pakistan premier Kakar sacked him.

The saga of the Javed family serves as a cautionary tale for aspiring politicians, highlighting the pitfalls of divisive rhetoric and sectarian politics in a modern democracy. While their electoral defeat may have been swift and decisive, the lessons learned from their misguided campaign will reverberate for years to come, shaping the future of Fort Bend County’s political landscape for generations to come.