Trump’s presence at Texas event a big boost for Modi amid Pakistan’s Kashmir blitz

The decision of US President Donald Trump to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an Indian community event in Texas will not only make for captivating optics, but will signal India’s growing importance in Washington’s foreign policy calculus. The symbolism of Trump’s presence at an Indian diaspora event – the first time an American-president will address a record number of over 50,000 Indian-Americans at one place in the US – at a time when Kashmir is hogging international headlines can’t be overstated. Put simply, it signals Trump’s willingness to walk the extra mile to strengthen the US-India strategic partnership by being sensitive to India’s core concerns. For PM Modi, Trump’s presence at the Howdy Modi event in Houston is a big boost for his campaign to thwart Pakistan’s bid to internationalise the Kashmir issue. In a series of tweets, a visibly delighted Modi said: “A special gesture by @POTUS, signifying the special friendship between India and USA! Delighted that President @realDonaldTrump will join the community programme in Houston on the 22nd.” “Looking forward to joining the Indian origin community in welcoming him at the programme.” Trump will not only participate in the Indian community event, but may also join PM Modi in a roundtable with CEOs of top energy companies. It’s possible that PM Modi and Trump could also hold bilateral talks in Texas, but official sources indicated that the bilateral meeting will mostly likely take place in New York. The informal talks in Texas will, however, set a positive tone for bilateral talks, which are expected to resolve trade irritants shadowing the India-US partnership. This will be PM Modi’s longest trip to the US and the first one after the controversial decision to scrap Article 370 that provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir over five weeks ago. PM Modi’s key engagements in New York includes a speech at the United Nations’ Climate Action Summit on September 23 and address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 27.