A Pakistani-American Legislator’s Rags to Riches Story

In 1972 Saghir Tahir left Lahore, Pakistan with about $100 to his name. Today he is a successful businessman and elected representative to the New Hampshire State Legislature in the New England region of the United States. The secret to his success, he says, is hard work. “I wanted to take my kids out of the poverty cycle because I came from a poor family and to do that I had to work and I did work more than 16, 18, 20 hours a day, seven days a week to get ahead of the bunch.” In the 30 years since, “Saggy” — as he is known just about everywhere in the state — has prospered. He worked a variety of jobs, mostly in the construction field and invested in rental properties.