New York: A Pakistani-American police officer, Zegham Abbas, has been promoted to the rank of Captain in the New York Police Department, marking the peak of his 16-year tenure with the force.

The promotion was commemorated with a special ceremony at the NYPD headquarters at One Police Plaza. The event was attended by senior officials from the department, along with Abbas’s family and friends, who gathered to celebrate his achievement.

Hailing from Lahore, Pakistan, Captain Abbas pursued his initial education at King Edward Medical College in Lahore. He later moved to the United States in 2003 through a student exchange program to continue his medical education at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

In 2009, Abbas joined the NYPD, where he has since advanced through the ranks. At the ceremony, he outlined the career path in NYPD, noting that after achieving the rank of Captain, officers can aspire to become One-Star, Two-Star, or Three-Star Chiefs. The rank of Four-Star Chief is the highest within the department.

Abbas emphasized that the promotion to Captain marks the conclusion of NYPD’s promotional exams, a crucial step for reaching this rank.

Currently, there are nearly 500 Pakistani-American officers, both senior and junior, serving in the NYPD. This highlights the growing presence and impact of Pakistani-American individuals in law enforcement roles.