Released on: August 28, 2008, 8:05 pm

Press Release Author: Junaid Bhatti

Industry: Government

Press Release Summary: The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Abdul Rashid, is
planning an official tour of Pakistan and Bangladesh in October 2008. As
Birmingham's First Citizen, the Lord Mayor represents a population of more than 1.5
million, of which an estimated 300,000 can trace their roots back to the Indian
sub-continent.

Press Release Body: The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Abdul Rashid, is
planning an official tour of Pakistan and Bangladesh in October 2008. As
Birmingham's First Citizen, the Lord Mayor represents a population of more than 1.5
million, of which an estimated 300,000 can trace their roots back to the Indian
sub-continent.

Birmingham is the most ethnically-diverse city in Britain, with more than a third of
the population identifying themselves as non-white. (This is higher than London,
Manchester, Bradford, Leeds and Dewsbury.) Cllr. Rashid is of Kashmiri heritage, and
will be the first Lord Mayor to make an official visit to the Indian sub-continent
in six years.

The Lord Mayor commented: "Birmingham is the UK's Second City. However, we are first
in terms of diversity. I'm proud to represent such a culturally-diverse population,
which serves as a model of community cohesion for other parts of the country.
Hundreds of thousands of our citizens have a connection to the Indian sub-continent.
I think it's important for me, as a representative of those citizens, to promote
Birmingham to their countries of cultural origin."

He continues: "I believe that my official visit to Pakistan and Bangladesh will be
an opportunity to raise international awareness of the social, cultural and economic
contribution that has been made by Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi immigrants to
the UK as a whole. The message I will take with me is that Birmingham is a great
place to live. We also want to encourage people from around the world to visit us,
and for foreign businesses to invest in the profitable opportunities Birmingham has
to offer."

Baron Bhatti of Ballencrieff, a lifelong resident of Birmingham, is just one
prominent citizen who supports The Lord Mayor's work. He explains: "I'm very proud
that Chauhdry Rashid, who has served as my local Councillor for more than 20 years,
has been given the honour of representing our fair City to the wider world. His
planned tour of the Indian sub-continent is a wonderful show of respect to
communities that have been integral to Birmingham's economic success. And I'm sure
that he will be welcomed with open arms by the residents of Sylhet, Dhaka, The
Punjab and Azad Kashmir."

The Lord Mayor is also planning official visits to India and the West Indies, in
recognition of the cultural connection many Brummies have with those regions.
Birmingham has a large Afro-Caribbean community in excess of 50,000.

About The Lord Mayor

Councillor Chauhdry Abdul Rashid hails from Dadyal in the Pakistani province of Azad
Kashmir. He left school at the age of 13 and emigrated to the Lake District town of
Workington, where he lived for eight years. Cllr. Rashid moved to Birmingham in
1963, and has been active in the City's social, cultural and educational development
for more than 45 years.

The Lord Mayor believes passionately in the value of education and, despite the
scholarly disadvantage he suffered, he has continually strengthened his academic
credentials since his arrival in the UK, eventually achieving a Bachelors in Social
Science from Wolverhampton University (in 1987).

The Lord Mayor has served as Governor at many local schools and colleges. Today he
is honoured to serve as Chancellor of Birmingham City University.

In 1962, Cllr. Rashid married Shafait Begum, his wife of over 45 years, who is First
Lady of the City of Birmingham, in her official capacity as Lady Mayoress. She has
supported The Lord Mayor's work for almost half a century, during which time he has
strived to improve the lives of Birmingham's residents.

Further information about The Lord Mayor of Birmingham is available at
www.lordmayor.org.

About Birmingham

Birmingham is the UK's second largest city, with a population of more than 1.5
million people. Due in part to its inland central location, Birmingham is a major
transport hub on the UK's motorway, rail, and canal networks. The city is often
referred to as "The Heart of England".

Birmingham's Conservative-led City Council is the largest local authority in the UK,
and the largest government council in Europe. The city has 120 councillors
representing 40 wards, and is represented in Parliament by 11 MPs.

Birmingham has made a valuable contribution to Britain's political, economic and
cultural history. Famous residents have included Neville Chamberlain (former Prime
Minister), JRR Tolkien (author of Lord of The Rings), WH Auden (poet), Barbara
Cartland (novelist), Tony Hancock (comedian) and Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of
Sherlock Holmes).

Birmingham is home to the Cadbury's chocolate factory, the world-famous Bull Ring
shopping complex, and the International Convention Centre (ICC) which will play host
to the 2008 Conservative Party Conference.

Notes for Editors

The Lord Mayor of Birmingham is the civic head of the City Council. The position is
a ceremonial role that is granted to a serving Councillor by fellow members of the
City Council, and is normally held for one year. Traditionally, after one year of
service, The Lord Mayor will take on the role of Deputy Lord Mayor for a further
year, so as to provide support for their successor.

The correct style of address for The Lord Mayor of Birmingham is "The Right
Worshipful", which is to be used on all official correspondence.

Web Site: http://www.lordmayor.org

Contact Details: Ballencrieff House
Holborn
London
WC1N 3XX

Tel: +44 20 7193 5766
Email: junaid@ballencrieff.net