Two Indian-origin officials sigl diaspora's influence

United tions, March 29: In a sign of the Indian diaspora’s growing influence, two cabinet-level officials of Indian-descent represented the biggest superpower, the US, and its neighbour, Cada, at the UN Security Council’s ministerial-level meeting on peacekeeping on Wednesday. And they are both Sikhs — US Permanent Representative Nikki Haley, a member of President Dold Trump’s cabinet, and Cadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan. They were among the ten ministers and a deputy minister from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas at the meeting presided over by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. But there was no minister from India, which was represented by Tanmaya Lal, the Deputy Permanent Representative. The changing demographics of Europe was on display, too.

Nikki, or Nimrata Nikki Randhawa, is the daughter of Ajit Singh and Raj Kaur Randhawa, who immigrated from Punjab’s Amritsar district. She was born in South Caroli state and was elected its Governor. She came to the meeting with the Trump administration’s policy of cutting back on intertiol contributions. Haley said that peacekeeping missions need to support political solutions and the mandates set by the Council “must be realistic and achievable”.

Sajjan, who was born in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur District and immigrated to Cada when he was five years old, spoke on behalf of the Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security and held more women should be deployed in peacekeeping operations. (IANS)