Representatives of Sindhi, Baloch and Pashto groups have gathered in Houston seek Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump help to gain freedom from Pakistan. The groups will hold a demonstration in front of the NRG Stadium on Sunday to draw the attention of the two leaders.

Baloch, Sindhi, and Pashto groups in Houston

Scores of members of the Balochi American, Sindhi American, and Pashto American communities landed in Houston on Saturday from various parts of the US to hold the first-of-its-kind demonstration in America, wherein they will collectively urge the leaders of India and the United States to help them get freedom from Pakistan. On Saturday, members of these groups accused the Pakistani establishment of carrying out gross violation of human rights against their communities.

"We demand freedom from Pakistan. India and the US should help us in the same way as India had helped the people of Bangladesh in 1971," Nabi Baksha Baloch, the US representative of the Baloch National Movement, told PTI.

"We are here to request Prime Minister Modi and President Trump to support our cause. There has been gross violation of human rights against the Baloch people by the Pakistani government," he said.

READ | Baloch Activists Organise Poster Campaign In Geneva Against Pakistan

More than 100 Sindhi Americans arrived in Houston on Saturday. They plan to gather outside the NRG stadium, where the "Howdy, Modi!" event is scheduled to be held on Sunday, with the hope that their posters and banners of freedom will catch the attention of PM Modi and US President Trump.

"This is a historic rally by the leaders of the free world, the largest and oldest democracies. We the people of Sindh want freedom from Pakistan. Just like India supported for the freedom of Bangladesh in 1971, we want a separate nation for the people of Sindh. Pakistan is a theocratic country," Zafar Sahito, from the Jeay Sindh Mutahida Muhaz, said.

READ | Pakistan's Human Rights Violation Exposed By Baloch Activists

Howdy, Modi!  

The Houston event will be PM Modi's third major address to the Indian-American community after he became the Prime Minister in 2014 and the first after his re-election in May. The previous two were at the Madison Square Garden in New York in 2014 and the Silicon Valley in 2016.

The 'Howdy, Modi!' event is organized by the non-profit Texas India Forum, a recently-formed representative body of hundreds of Indian American organizations in Texas and other parts of the US. A 90-minute cultural program titled, “Woven: The Indian-American Story”, is going to be performed at the event celebrating the contributions of Indian-Americans to the cultural, intellectual, and social landscape of the United States. The program will start at 10:00 am preceding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address. 

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(With PTI Inputs)