US President likely to attend diaspora event in Houston, say reports

US President Donald Trump is likely to share stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his ‘Howdy Modi’ mega diaspora event in Houston on September 22, said reports.

However, a confirmation in this regard is awaited, a NDTV report said quoting sources. The diaspora event will also be attended by over 60 US lawmakers, including Tulsi Gabbard and Raja Krishnamoorthi, said another report by The Economic Times.

At a time when several US lawmakers had expressed concern over the situation in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of abrogation of its special status, Trump’s presence at the event will give out a strong message of support to the country. The two leaders last met at the G7 Summit in France on August 26.

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The ‘Howdy Modi’ event is expected to be attended by over 50,000 Indian Americans. The event will be the Prime Minister’s first major address to the Indian American community since his re-election this year.

Modi will also speak at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 27, ahead of his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan. He will be in the US till September 28.

Khan had earlier said that Pakistan was successful in internationalising the issue of Kashmir and that he will highlight the crisis at the UNGA on September 27. However, the US has maintained that Kashmir was a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan.