Syed Zafar Mahmood, Ph.D. (born June 8, 1951) is an Indian Civil-Servant and former 'Officer on Special Duty' for the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh

Manmohan Singh

Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...

. On March 9, 2005 the Prime Minister appointed the 'Sachar Committee

Sachar Committee

The Rajinder Sachar Committee, appointed in 2005 by the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was commissioned to prepare a report on the latest social, economic and educational condition of the Muslim community of India. The commettee was headed by the former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court ...

' to study the "social, economic and educational status" of India's minority Muslim community. Dr. Mahmood worked with the Sachar Committee to submit its report to the Government of India

Government of India

The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

 within two years on November 17, 2006. He has since given numerous talks in and outside India on the topic. In his presentations at Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...

 and Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

's John F. Kennedy School of Government

John F. Kennedy School of Government

The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...

 he has commented on the steps forward to bridge the economic, social and educational divide of Indian Muslims.

During President George W. Bush

George W. Bush

George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

's 2006 visit to India, the U.S. President convened an interfaith meeting in New Delhi and Dr. Mahmood was one of the representatives of Indian Muslims.

Non-Governmental Work

Dr. Mahmood is also the founder of three non-profit organizations: Zakat Foundation of India, Interfaith Coalition for Peace and God's Grace Foundation.

Of note, Zakat Foundation of India (founded in 1997) is a non-profit which runs an orphanage for victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots in partnership with USA's One World Children's Fund. The Foundation recently was in the news for adopting the family of the late 11-year old Shanno Khan.. Dr.Mahmood's work in regard to these organizations has also been featured on CNN and America's National Public Radio (NPR) . In September 2009, ZFI filed a 'Right To Information' application to question why the Government had rejected the Sachar Committee recommendations to ensure proper governance of Wakf properties.