‘Howdy Modi’ rally in Houston met with protests

HOUSTON: Kashmiris, Pakistanis and human rights activists gathered here on Sunday to protest against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Houston over his brutal steps in occupied Kashmir.

Hindus, Muslims, Dalit, Sikh and Christian groups under the umbrella of Alliance for Justice and Accountability (AJA), arrived in Houston to protest against the undemocratic, anti-people and anti-minorities agenda of the Modi government.

Several US-based civil rights organisations announced that they would join the protests. A Kashmiri-American group called a demonstration.John Sifton, the Asia advocacy director of Human Rights Watch, said it was critical to raise concerns to Modi while he is abroad as, unlike previous Indian prime ministers, he has little back-and-forth interaction with the media.

“He is really in a kind of bubble in Delhi,” Sifton said. “This is a moment for Modi to burst outside of his bubble and hear some criticism of what’s happening in Kashmir.”