Maulana Azad National Urdu University junks MoU with Turkish institute, draws students' ire
MANUU, a central university, announced cancelling the arrangement with Yunus Emre Institute, Turkiye for a diploma course, with immediate effect.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the varsity's registrar said the decision was taken in protest against Turkiye's "support" for Pakistan's terrorist activities in the backdrop of India-Pakistan tensions.
The central university said it signed a MoU with the Turkish institute in 2020 for a period of five years under which a diploma in Turkish language was started at the School of languages, linguistics and Indology in MANUU.
A visiting professor who was appointed for the course has already returned to his country, the official informed.
Following Turkiye's support to Pakistan amid heightened tensions with India, multiple educational institutions, including Jawaharlal Nehru University , have either suspended their collaboration with universities from there, or are considering such a move, officials had said recently.
Meanwhile, Azad United Students' Federation in a statement posted on social media said it strongly condemned the decisions of MANUU, JMI, and JNU to cancel or suspend their academic MoUs with institutions in the Republic of Turkiye.
India has never closed its doors to intellectual engagement, even in times of political strife. To use allegations of terrorism or political disagreements as a pretext to curb academic cooperation undermines the very spirit of higher education and international understanding, the statement further read.
"The fight against terrorism must not become a fight against academic freedom. Suspending scholarly ties in the name of nationalism not only damages our global academic standing but also risks transforming our universities into ideological outposts that echo the narrow vision of authoritarian forces,' it said.
The students' body demanded the immediate reversal of the decisions and urged academic institutions to uphold the values of free inquiry and global academic cooperation.
"Let our universities remain centers of knowledge, not echo chambers of political propaganda," it added.
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