Ahead of the mega 'Howdy Modi' event on Sunday, Kashmiri Pandits met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Houston and thanked him for the move of abrogating Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Overwhelmed after seeing the PM, Surendra Kaul one of the Kashmiri Pandits who thanked him on taking the decision to make Kashmir a union territory. He kissed PM’s hand and conveyed his emotions. He also said that around seven lakh Kashmiri Pandits are extremely thankful for the move. PM received a warm reception from all the Indian communities in the USA including the Sikh and Bohra community.  

'Messages of the community'

Speaking to ANI about the interaction with PM Narendra Modi, Surinder Kaul said, "PM Modi took a picture with us and he told us that we (Kashmiri Pandits) have suffered a lot. Together we have to build a new Kashmir." Kaul also shared that the community started to recite a mantra to which the PM joined in as well. "As we recited the 'Sharada Devi' mantra, PM Modi joined in with us at the end and said 'Om Namo Namah'.

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Surinder Kaul also spoke about the memorandum that the community presented to Narendra Modi and said, "Our youth presented him with the messages that the community has prepared for him. I presented a memorandum on behalf of the community. He gladly accepted that." While discussing the future situation in Kashmir, Kaul said, "We thanked him on behalf of the 700,000 Kashmiri Pandits all over the globe for such a historic decision. We assured him that our community will work with the government to fulfill your dream for a Kashmir which is peaceful, full of growth where people are all happy."

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'We Shall Create a Kashmir that is Paradise'

Another representative of the community, Rakesh Kaul, further discussed the memorandum presented to the PM and said, "The memorandum contains the Kashmiri Pandit's request about wanting to build an advisory group of the Kashmiri Pandits which will allow us to work alongside the government. Also, this will help us to get justice for the genocide and ethnic cleansing of our community and get back our homeland. Let's see what PM Modi decides. We have instilled a lot of hope in him. By working with the PM we shall create a Kashmir that is a paradise."

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'Howdy, Modi' Event

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump will be jointly addressing ‘Howdy, Modi’, a mega event at the NRG Stadium in Houston for which more than 50,000 Indians and Americans have registered. This event is to take place on September 22. The key highlight of this event resides in the fact that it gains bilateral significance of both the countries coming together. According to the White House, the event will be a great opportunity to emphasize the strong ties between the people of India and the US. This will also help in strengthening the India-US ties, said the experts.

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