GLEN COVE, NY (TIP): Tom Suozzi (D – Long Island, Queens) celebrated Pakistan Day (3/23) by welcoming 113-year-old Sardar Khatoon to the United States at a ceremony at Shaheen Restaurant in Hicksville.

“Yaum-E-Paksistan Mubarak!” Suozzi declared. “This is a very exciting day because we now have, in our presence, the second oldest person in the United States of America.”

Suozzi, who serves as the Co-Chair of the bipartisan Pakistan Caucus, advocated for Ms. Khatoon and her family, who struggled with the visa process for over five years. Her family had been in the United States for 35 years, with Ms. Khatoon unable to join them. In December of 2024, after facing medical issues, Ms. Khatoon’s family reached out to Suozzi’s office for assistance in expediting the process. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of Suozzi and his staff, including personal calls between Suozzi and the U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Ms. Khatoon’s visa was issued on March 6, 2025. She arrived at New York’s JFK Airport on March 12, happy, healthy, and greeted by her loving family. She will reside with her family in Jericho, New York.

Pakistan Day, celebrated every March 23, commemorates the adoption of the first Constitution of Pakistan in 1956 and the passage of the Lahore Resolution in 1940. Born on January 1, 1912, in Larkana Sindh, Pakistan, Ms. Khatoon is 4 years older than the Lahore Resolution and 44 years older than the Constitution.

“It’s only appropriate that on Pakistan Day, we are all here to celebrate this family, who after a long time has finally been able to come together here in America, only because of the great relationship we share between the United States and Pakistan,” Suozzi said.

During Sunday’s ceremony, Congressman Suozzi was joined by Mr. Abdul Latif, an attaché of the Pakistan Embassy to the United States, and members of the Pakistani community, including Ms. Khatoon’s family, in celebration of Pakistan Day. Suozzi presented Ms. Khatoon with a U.S. flag that was flown over the Capitol, along with a citation.

Through a translator, Ms. Khatoon said. “God Bless. I love America.”