Texas State Rep. Salman Bhojani, born in Pakistan, said that Pakistan has faced enduring challenges such as recurrent periods of unrest, especially under martial law, and widespread corruption among politicians, resulting in detrimental effects on the economy and hindering the country's progress. Bhojani was a guest on a recent episode of the Texas Talks Podcast.

"There's always been uprising, unfortunately in Pakistan,” said Bhojani on a recent edition of the Texas Talks Podcast. “It's been more than 70-80 years since independence, and it's been under martial law more than it's been under democracy. It's been really unfortunate that politicians have come in and really tried to reap the benefits for themselves as opposed to the common people. And that's what's been really plagued with corruption.”

“It's unfortunate that they are so corrupt that the economy is not doing well. If you have a connection, then you can get stuff done," said Bhojani. “The tax system is plagued with people not paying their taxes, and there's just a lot of things like that that make the country not as stable."

Bhojani is a Texas attorney specializing in real estate law, having previously worked at Haynes and Boone, LLP. He was Euless City Council's first minority member, later serving as Mayor Pro Tem, and in 2022, he became the first Muslim and South Asian elected to the Texas Legislature. He holds degrees from the University of Texas at Dallas and Southern Methodist University, along with a Comparative Law diploma from the University of Oxford.

Texas Talks podcast is hosted by Brad Swail. The weekly show is focused on public policy in the state of Texas, with insights from the people and organizations that influence it.

The podcast is available on Simple Cast and YouTube.