South Asians put hope in Bush visit to India, Pakistan; Communities see chance to improve Houston's ties to the subcontinent
Houston Chronicle, March 2, 2006

By DAVID ELLISON

Houston's thriving South Asian community, which has boomed over the last 20 years, is hoping that President Bush's trip to their countries will translate into stronger economic and political ties.

Many Pakistani- and Indian-Americans in the Houston area say they hope the trip ultimately will lead to better trade agreements with their countries, which would help local businesses.

Pakistani-Americans have "a very strong community, very vibrant community," said Houston City Councilman M.J. Kahn, a Pakistani-American. "Most of the people are first-generation immigrants to the United States, so they have very strong ties to Pakistan. Many of them have business interest in Pakistan. So it will just enhance that tremendously."

Pakistani- and Indian-Americans in the Houston area have tremendous economic and political impact, community leaders say. Most of that power is attributed to their high level of education and substantial incomes.

For India, one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, some community leaders want to see more goods exported to the country, said Jagdip Ahluwalia, executive director of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston.

Houston-area firms, especially the energy sector, could benefit from strong business ties in India when that country starts exploring and producing oil and gas. Also, Houston businesses could take part in improving the country's infrastructure, including roads, ports and airports, said Somesh Singh, president of the Indo-American Chamberand vice president of BMC Software.

South Asian community leaders, along with a local demographer, say more people in Houston are watching Bush's trip this week because of the many Indian- and Pakistani-Americans here who still have ties to their countries. An overwhelming majority is first-generation Americans with occupations like doctors, engineers and business executives.

Stephen Klineberg, a Rice University sociology professor, said South Asians are the second-largest Asian population in the Houston area behind Vietnamese. There are 200,000 Asians in Houston, he said, and 21 percent are from South Asian countries, mostly India and Pakistan.

G.R. Baluch, consul general of Pakistan, estimated the local population of Pakistani-Americans between 50,000 and 60,000. Ahluwalia, executive director of the Indo-American Chamber, said there are about 100,000 Indian-Americans in the area.
He said the majority is highly educated and very interested in what's going on in the world. Sixty-nine percent have college degrees, compared with 46 percent for Anglos, he said.

Both communities are politically active, Klineberg said.

Ahluwalia said the Indian-American community was actively involved in electing Councilman Thomas Abraham in Sugar Land and Councilman Randhir Sahni in Piney Point Village, both Indian-Americans.

Many are business owners, with most of their shops located along Hillcroft, Bissonnet and Beechnut.