OBAMA MUST VISIT GOLDEN TEMPLE - HARSIMRAT IMPRESSES UPON ROBERT BLAKE
• SEEKS MICHELLE OBAMA VISIT TO BATHINDA TO WITNESS WOMEN EMPOWERMENT THROUGH NANHI CHHAN
Chandigarh, October 25:
 Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Member Parliament from Bathinda Constituency has impressed upon US Government not to abort the proposed visit of US President Barack Obama to Golden Temple, as sudden cancellation of his visit would send wrong message to the Sikh Community living all over the World.
The US Embassy had invited a group of MPs recently to have interaction to finalize the agenda of US President's visit to India. The MPs invited for the informal interaction with US officials, including Assistant Secretary of State (South Asia) Mr. Robert Blake and US Ambassador Mr. Timothy J. Roemer, included Harsimrat Kaur Badal (Shiromani Akali Dal), Balbir Punj and Anant Hegde (BJP), Manish Tiwari and Shruti Choudhary (Congress) and Jayant Choudhary (Rashtriya Lok Dal).
The Akali Dal MP impressed upon Mr. Robert Blake that international dignitaries including the Queen of England, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper have paid their obeisance at the Golden Temple without any security hassles and minor issues like observance of Sikh Maryada could be mutually sorted out at diplomatic level. She said that Sikhs constituted a sizeable part of US and Canada's NRI population and US President's visit to Golden Temple would further strengthen the secular image of President Barack Obama
Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal also impressed upon Mr. Robert Blake that the US First Lady Mrs. Michelle Obama, should consider visiting the countryside in Bathinda district, to see the level of women’s empowerment, achieved through the Nanhi Chhan programme. She said that President Pratibha Patil had already supported the noble work initiated through this programme and US First Lady Mrs. Michelle Obama should lend her voice against the female foeticide endangering the society.
In the interaction Mrs. Badal also raised the question of increasing narcotic smuggling from Pakistan through international border along Punjab, ruining the lives of Punjabi youth. She said that US President Barack Obama must pressurize Pakistan to desist from patronizing narcotic smuggling because the end destination of all narcotic drugs was Western Countries including USA
It may be added that Assistant Secretary of State (South Asia) Robert Blake and US Under- Secretary William Burns are in India to finalize the agenda for President Obama’s visit.
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