As of the

2010 U.S. Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

the number of people in the Houston area of Pakistani origin was counted as 27,856. In 2007 the Pakistani-American Association of Greater Houston (PAGH) stated that about 60,000 people of Pakistani origin lived in

Greater Houston Greater Houston, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land, is the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States, encompassing nine counties along the Gulf Co ...

and that many of them lived in

Southwest Houston Southwest Houston is a region in Houston, Texas, United States. The area is considered to be from Texas State Highway 6, south of Westpark Tollway to north of U.S. Route 90. Many Section 8 (housing) complexes are located in Southwest Houston. Hu ...

.Patel, Purva.
Pakistani center touts retail concept as a novel idea
" ("Pakistani center pays its way Retail space included as old H-E-B remodeled") ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

''. January 16, 2007. Retrieved on May 2, 2014. As of 2000, over 70% of the Muslims in Houston are Pakistani or Indian.Badr, p
193
Estimates around 2012 show the number of the Pakistani community in Houston exceeding 100,000.

History

In 2001 a woman being questioned by an off-duty sheriff's deputy about a theft at a grocery store in northwest Houston fell ill and died. Afterwards, the Pakistan Association of Greater Houston, the

Islamic Society of Greater Houston The Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) is a system of mosques in Greater Houston. It is headquartered at the Eastside Main Center in Upper Kirby in Houston. There are women from south Asian backgrounds who do not believe in wearing the h ...

(ISGH), and the

Council of American Islamic Relations A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

(CAIR) were scheduled to form a committee about the incident. On May 23, 2004

Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines ( ur, ; abbreviated PIA, ur, ) is an international airline that serves as the national flag carrier of Pakistan under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Aviation. It ...

(PIA) was scheduled to begin flights to

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

from Houston on a twice weekly basis. The passengers stayed on the aircraft while it took refueling stops in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. In April 2005 a Houston attorney named Syed Izfar accused officers of the

U.S. Customs and Border Protection United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilit ...

(CBP) at

George Bush Intercontinental Airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport is an international airport in Houston, Texas, United States, serving the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Located about north of Downtown Houston between Interstate 45 and Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59 ...

of profiling customers of the PIA flight. PIA regional manager Munsif Ansari argued that CBP officers "are pretty reasonable. In fact, the feedback I've heard from people is that they were being treated very well." In July of that year,

Ghulam Bombaywala Ghulam Mohammed "Bombay" Bombaywala is a Pakistani-American restaurateur in Houston.Houston City Council The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. Currently, there are sixteen members, 11 elected from council districts and five at-large. The members of the Council are elected every four years, w ...

member

M.J. Khan Masrur Javed "M.J." Khan (born May 1, 1950) is a Pakistani American and former Houston City Council member.Dooley, Tara. "Khan inspires Muslims with election to council." ''Houston Chronicle''. Saturday, December 13, 2003. Religion p. 1. NewsBank R ...

. After the

2005 Kashmir earthquake The 2005 Kashmir earthquake occurred at on 8 October in Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir. It was centred near the city of Muzaffarabad, and also affected nearby Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and some areas of Indian-administered Jammu and ...

, the two men organized separate relief efforts instead of doing a joint effort.Hegstrom, Edward.
Restaurateur's money woes spark more discord
" ''

''. January 9, 2006. Retrieved on May 2, 2014. The PAGH, under Bombaywala, collected over $8,000 ($ according to inflation) by October 10 of that year. In December 2005 Bombaywala stated that the Pakistani community had 60,000 people and that the community donated over $1 million ($ according to inflation) to the earthquake relief efforts. In 2006 Bombaywala filed for

Chapter 7 bankruptcy Chapter 7 of Title 11 of the United States Code (Bankruptcy Code) governs the process of liquidation under the bankruptcy laws of the United States, in contrast to Chapters 11 and 13, which govern the process of ''reorganization'' of a debtor. ...

, and Edward Hegstrom of the ''

'' stated that this increased the discord in the Houston Pakistani community. When

Pervez Musharraf General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of the ...

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

there in 2007, Houstonians of Pakistani origins protested.Carroll, Susan.
Houstonians call for end to Pakistan martial law
" ''

''. November 8, 2007. Retrieved on May 25, 2014. "Pirzada, a gas station owner, took the afternoon off to join about two dozen protesters outside the Pakistani Consulate in northwest Houston." That year, the Pakistani community expressed sadness after

Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto ( ur, بینظیر بُھٹو; sd, بينظير ڀُٽو; Urdu ; 21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 t ...

was assassinated. After Musharraf resigned in 2008, Jemimah Noonoo of the ''

'' stated that the reaction from the Pakistani community in Houston "was mixed". The Pakistani community is described as fairly prosperous, with many doctors, engineers and businesspeople. A large number of gas stations in Houston are owned by Pakistanis.

Economy

Pakistanis in Houston include owners of small and large businesses as well as computer software/hardware engineers and medical professionals. Smaller businesses include convenience stores, gas stations, and restaurants; while larger businesses are related to the fields of information technology, manufacturing, real estate, and textiles. the city had at least 20 Pakistani restaurants.

Demographics

there were about 60,000 persons of Pakistani origins in Houston; that year Pakistani groups in the area estimated that 75% of them were U.S. citizens.

and

Sugar Land Sugar Land is the largest city in Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, located in the southwestern part of the metropolitan area. Located about southwest of downtown Houston, Sugar Land is a populous suburban municipality centered around th ...

had large numbers of persons of Pakistani origin, while the numbers of the group in

Clear Lake City Clear Lake City is a master-planned community located in southeast Harris County, Texas, within the Bay Area of Greater Houston. It is the second-largest master-planned community in Houston – behind Kingwood. The majority of the communit ...

and northern Houston were increasing.

Institutions

Pakistani American Community Center

The Pakistani American Community Center is in

Alief Alief is a working-class suburb in Southwest Harris County, Texas, United States. Most of Alief is within the city limits of Houston, while a portion of the community is in unincorporated Harris County. First settled in 1894 as a rural farm co ...

, near Bissonnet and Dairy Ashford. The center includes seven retail spaces, a small library, a banquet hall, a clinic for low-income individuals, and prayer halls. The center offers after-school activities. As of January 2007, six of the retail spaces were rented out for an average rent of $1 ($ according to inflation) per month. In August 2005 the PAGH purchased a former

H-E-B H-E-B Grocery Company, LP, is an American privately held supermarket chain based in San Antonio, Texas, with more than 340 stores throughout the U.S. state of Texas, as well as in northeast Mexico. The company also operates Central Market, an u ...

for $1.3 million."SOUTHWEST HOUSTON - Pakistani-American group opens center." ''

''. Thursday July 12, 2007. ThisWeek p. 1. Available at

NewsBank NewsBank is a news database resource that provides archives of media publications as reference materials to libraries. History John Naisbitt, the author of the book ''Megatrends'', founded NewsBank.Andrews 1998, p. 17. The company was launched i ...

, Record Number 4381403. Available online from the

Houston Public Library Houston Public Library is the public library system serving Houston, Texas, United States. History Houston Lyceum and the Carnegie Library The Houston Public Library system traces its founding to the creation of the second Houston Lyceum in 18 ...

with a library card. "The Pakistani American Community Center, 12638 Bissonnet, .. The PAGH had originally purchased land in

for the purpose of building a center, but after

Ghulam Bombaywala Ghulam Mohammed "Bombay" Bombaywala is a Pakistani-American restaurateur in Houston.Sheila Jackson-Lee Sheila Jackson Lee (born January 12, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who is the U.S. representative for , having served since 1995. The district includes most of central Houston. She is a member of the Democratic Party, and served ...

; Ronald Green, a

Houston City Council The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. Currently, there are sixteen members, 11 elected from council districts and five at-large. The members of the Council are elected every four years, w ...

member;

Nick Lampson Nicholas Valentino Lampson (born February 14, 1945) is an American politician and restaurateur who is a former Democratic Congressman representing the 22nd Congressional District and the 9th Congressional District of Texas. Early life, ed ...

;

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

; and John F. Healey Jr., the

Fort Bend County Fort Bend County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. The county was founded in 1837 and organized the next year. It is named for a blockhouse at a bend of the Brazos River. The community developed around the fort in early days. The ...

District Attorney. A Congressional Certificate of Recognition stating that the building was "the first Pakistani community center in the nation" was presented by Al Green.Kumar, Seshadri.
Pakistani center opening attracts a crowd
" ''

''. July 2, 2007. Retrieved on May 25, 2014.

Consulate-General of Pakistan

The Consulate-General of Pakistan is located in the 11850 Jones Road property in

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

Harris County, northwest of

Downtown Houston Downtown is the largest central business district in the city of Houston and the largest in the state of Texas, located near the geographic center of the metropolitan area at the confluence of Interstate 10 in Texas, Interstate 10, Interstate 45, ...

. The consulate serves residents of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, and

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

.A Message from Consul General

Archive
. ''Consulate-General of Pakistan in Houston''. Retrieved on January 12, 2009. The 11850 Jones Road property, near the intersection of Jones Road and Greencreek Drive, is managed by the real estate company Transwestern. The , $1,125,500

United States dollar The United States dollar ( symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the officia ...

building was built in 1984. The property includes of land and of office space with twelve private offices, two conference rooms with fireplaces, and a private bath on the third floor. The building received upgrades in 2001. The consulate opened in June 2004. After the

Assassination of Benazir Bhutto The assassination of Benazir Bhutto ( ur, بینظیر بھُٹو کا قتل) took place on 27 December 2007 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto, twice Prime Minister of Pakistan (1988–1990; 1993–1996) and then-leader of the oppositi ...

in 2007 the consulate provided a book for recording condolences for

. In 2008 Pakistan's

National Accountability Bureau The National Accountability Bureau ( ur, ; abbreviated NAB) is an autonomous and constitutionally established federal institution responsible to build efforts against corruption and prepare critical national economic intelligence assessments ...

issued a reference against an employee of the consulate, accusing him of issuing forged passports.

Media

Pakistan Post Pakistan Post ( ur, ) is a state enterprise which functions as Pakistan's primary and largest postal operator. 49,502 employees through a vehicle fleet of 5,000 operate traditional "to the door" service from more than 13,419 post offices acro ...

'', with U.S. operations headquartered in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, has an office in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. the radio channels KGOL-AM and KILE-AM host a program discussing South Asian affairs.

Sports and recreation

In September 2018 a

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

complex in Prairie View was scheduled to open. It was established by Pakistani American Tanweer Ahmed.

Notable residents

Ghulam Bombaywala Ghulam Mohammed "Bombay" Bombaywala is a Pakistani-American restaurateur in Houston.M.J. Khan Masrur Javed "M.J." Khan (born May 1, 1950) is a Pakistani American and former Houston City Council member.Dooley, Tara. "Khan inspires Muslims with election to council." ''Houston Chronicle''. Saturday, December 13, 2003. Religion p. 1. NewsBank R ...

(

member) *

Mariyah Moten Mariyah Moten is a Pakistani American beauty pageant runner up 4 of Miss Pakistan World 2006. Biography Mariyah was born in Karachi, Pakistan. She moved to the US with her family at the age of 5 and currently resides in the United States. Mariy ...

Oaklander, Mandy.
Five Famous Indian and Pakistani Houstonians
" ''

Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely by advertising ...

''. Tuesday August 16, 2011. Retrieved on February 4, 2016.

References

* Badr, Hoda. "''Al Noor'' Mosque: Strength Through Unity" (Chapter 11). In: Chafetz, Janet Salzman and Helen Rose Ebaugh (editors). ''Religion and the New Immigrants: Continuities and Adaptations in Immigrant Congregations''.

AltaMira Press Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an independent publishing house founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns the book distributing compa ...

, October 18, 2000. , 9780759117129.

Notes

External links

Pakistani American Association of Greater Houston

Pakistan Association of Greater Houston

Pakistani Embassy & Consulate Jurisdictions

Consulate General of Pakistan in Houston

Urdu Times Houston
{{Pakistani diaspora Pakistani Pakistani

Pakistani-American history History of Houston