Houstan, United States, Sep 22 (UNI) Within hours of landing in the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met a delegation of Kasmiri Pandit community which 'unequivocally supported' Government of India's decision to abrogate Article 370 and bifurcate the erstwhile development-starved and militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir.
'In Houston, a delegation of the Kashmiri Pandit community met the Prime Minister. They unequivocally supported the steps being taken for the progress of India and empowerment of every Indian, said the PMO in its tweet.
This is Prime Minister's first visit to the US since August 5 when his government decided to abrogate Article 370 and bifurcate J&K into Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh regions.
Prime Minister Modi was also felicitated by delegations of Dawoodi Bohra community and the Sikh community here on the very first day of his seven-day trip to the US.
The Prime Minister met the Dawoodi Bohra community which recalled Mr Modi’s visit to Indore last year to attend a programme.
'The Dawoodi Bohra community felicitates PM Narendra Modi in Houston. They recall PM Modi’s visit to Indore last year to attend a programme of their community as well as highlight PM Modi’s association with Syedna Sahib,' according to a PMO missive.
The Dawoodi Bohras are a sect within the Ismaili branch of Shia Islam and live abundantly in Gujarat.
Large populations of Dawoodi Bohras also reside in Pakistan, Yemen, East Africa and the Middle East.
There are also significant numbers living in Europe, North America, South East Asia and Australia.
The Sikh community in Houston also welcomed the Prime Minister and congratulated him on some of the pathbreaking decisions taken by his government.
'The Prime Minister interacted with the members of the community, during which they congratulated PM Modi on some of the path breaking decisions taken by the Government of India,' the PMO said on social networking site.
“It’s a bright afternoon here in Houston. Looking forward to a wide range of programmes in this dynamic and energetic city," PM Modi said in his first tweet since arrival here.
On the sidelines of Prime Minister Modi's meeting Energy Sector CEOs in Houston, Tellurian and Petronet LNG Limited India (PLL) signed the MoU for up to 5 Million tonnes of LNG through equity investment in Driftwood.
Mr Modi will be in the US till September 27 when on the last day of his trip, he will address the United Nations General Assembly.
He will deliver the much awaited address at the ‘Howdy Modi’ event with US President Donald Trump on Sunday.
The event - a record of its own for more reasons than one - will be attended by over 50,000 Indian-Americans.
On Monday, Prime Minister is scheduled to attend the United Nations Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit at the UN building.
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