President of the USA, Donald Trump has iterated that he will soon be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan PM Imran Khan. PM Modi’s ‘Howdy Modi!’ event is slated for September 22 and Trump will also be addressing Indian-American citizens alongside the Indian Prime Minister.
Washington : US President Donald Trump on Monday said that he will be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan soon. He maintained that tension between India and Pakistan had reduced.
While President Trump will address Indian-Americans, along with PM Modi, at the "Howdy Modi!" event in Houston on September 22, the American president did not say when or where will he be meeting Imran Khan.
"I'll see Prime Minister Modi and I will - we'll - be meeting with (prime ministers of) India and Pakistan," President Trump told reporters in response to a question at the White House on Monday.
According to Donald Trump's schedule, he could meet the Imran Khan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly Session in New York later this month.
After addressing a record crowd of more than 50,000 Indian-Americans at the "Howdy Modi!" event, Donald Trump will travel to Ohio and then is expected to fly to New York to attend the Annual General Assembly Sessions of the United Nations.
Without mentioning Kashmir, Donald Trump said a "lot of progress has been made in reducing tension" between India and Pakistan. Tension between India and Pakistan escalated after New Delhi revoked Jammu and Kashmir's 'temporary special status' on August 5. Reacting to India's move on Kashmir, Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with India.
Pakistan has been trying to internationalise the Kashmir issue but India has asserted that the abrogation of Article 370 was its "internal matter". New Delhi has also told Islamabad to accept the reality and stop its anti-India rhetoric.
The "Howdy, Modi!" event would be the first time that an American president addresses thousands of Indian-Americans at one place in the US.
It comes ahead of the 2020 presidential elections in the US in which the influential Indian-American community members are expected to play a greater role. President Trump, a Republican, has already announced his candidature.
India's Ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla has called Donald Trump's participation in the "Howdy, Modi!" event "historic" and "unprecedented".
"It is reflective of the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation that has developed between India and the US," Shringla said.
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