Established: 2009, under Mayor Bill White
President: Muhammad Sheikh
Contact Information: sluvfss@yahoo.com
Website: www.houstonkarachi.org
The Houston community first discussed the establishment of a sister city relationship between Houston and Karachi during the early 2000s. Community members began the process by independently facilitating efforts to increase the cultural and trade ties between the two cities, including business collaborations and the exchange of trade delegations. Many Houston-based companies established or expanded offices in Karachi, while the Pakistani presence in Houston continued to grow significantly throughout this time.
In May 2008, the Mayor of Karachi, Mustafa Kamal, visited Houston. During his visit, Mayor Kamal discussed the idea of formalizing the sister city relationship with Houston Mayor Bill White. This meeting also resulted in the signing of a Partners in Trade Agreement between Houston and Karachi.
Houston City Council Member M.J. Khan then held a community meeting to encourage citizen participation and to present a formal proposal to the City of Houston to finalize the Sister City relationship between the two cities. Their goal was accomplished in early 2009, making Karachi Houston’s seventeenth, and newest, sister city.
The Houston-Karachi Sister City Association hopes to further increase bilateral trade, as well as social and cultural ties, between Houston and Karachi.
Find out more about Karachi, Pakistan.