Dr. Ijaz Ahmad, a cardiologist and healthcare entrepreneur, has hosted multiple fundraisers for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York Governor Kathy Hochul. Ahmad has also advised individuals in the Pakistani-American community on establishing healthcare facilities that receive Medicaid funding.
This association has drawn scrutiny due to Ahmad's advisory role to Pervez Siddiqui, who faces accusations of involvement in a $38 million Medicaid fraud scheme, and Zakia Khan, who has been convicted of a $68 million Medicaid fraud. The alleged fraud schemes involved kickbacks and false billing for services not rendered, with prosecutors stating that seniors were sometimes bribed for their Medicaid information.
Ahmad's American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee (APPAC) has been a significant donor to Democratic candidates, contributing to presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, as well as New York Governor Kathy Hochul. APPAC also raised over $306,000 in the past year for Democratic candidates. In December, after Mamdani's election, Ahmad organized a fundraiser for his transition team through APPAC.
Federal disclosures indicate that APPAC hired a Washington D.C. lobbying firm to support its work with political candidates in both the U.S. and Pakistan. The offices of APPAC were formerly housed in a building owned by Ahmad that also contained a medical center.
Ahmad himself donated $16,000 between 2021 and 2025 to New York State Attorney General Letitia James. However, federal funding to James's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) was recently suspended due to concerns over lax enforcement and a lack of prosecutions.
In May, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, attended a meeting at Ahmad's home, accompanied by Pakistani diplomats. The event was noted on Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. APPAC, which Ahmad founded in 2018 to promote South Asian and Muslim political candidates, is not registered as a foreign agent of Pakistan.
APPAC also supported Mamdani's slate in the New York City Democratic primary. In 2024, Governor Hochul appointed Ahmad to the state's Justice Center Advisory Council. Ahmad also donated $10,000 to the Friends for Kathy Hochul PAC in 2024 and 2025, and APPAC hosted an Iftar dinner in March featuring Hochul.
Neither Ijaz Ahmad nor APPAC have been accused of any wrongdoing. Pervez Siddiqui and his co-defendants have yet to enter pleas in the $38 million fraud case. Zakia Khan has yet to be sentenced in her $68 million fraud case. The New York State Attorney General's office and APPAC did not respond to requests for comment from The Post.