CAMBRIDGE: : In a historic milestone for the Pakistani-American community, Karachi native Sanbal Siddiqui has been elected Mayor of Cambridge, while Burhan Azam from Burewala has been chosen as the city’s Deputy Mayor.
The election, held on January 5, 2026, marks the first time in the city’s history that both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor are of Pakistani descent, representing a significant achievement for minority communities in the United States.
Sanbal Siddiqui, a practicing lawyer and influential figure in American politics, has now been elected Mayor for the third consecutive term. She first joined the Cambridge City Council in 2017 and served as Mayor from 2020 to 2024.
She is also the first Muslim and first Asian woman in Cambridge to hold the mayoral office three times in a row.
Burhan Azam, the youngest Deputy Mayor in Cambridge’s history, is the son of renowned educationist Professor Munir Chaudhry and holds an engineering degree from MIT, Boston. He has previously served as one of the city’s youngest councilors and now assumes the role of Deputy Mayor for the second time.
The dual victory has been widely celebrated in both the United States and Pakistan, highlighting the growing political influence of Pakistani-Americans in local governance and their contribution to civic leadership.
