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Time of India
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pahalgam terror attack: Indian students at Harvard protest Pakistani delegates' visit
Water flows down the Charles River near Harvard University, in background. (Pic credit: AP) In the wake of Pahalgam terror attack , Indian students at the Harvard Kennedy School protested the upcoming visit of Pakistani delegates to the campus. In a letter to US secretary of state Marco Rubio , the students requested him to revoke the visas of Pakistani officials who will attend the Pakistan Conference 2025 at Harvard University. "We are students at Harvard Kennedy School, deeply disturbed by the recent targeted terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India, on April 22, 2025. Survivors confirm that attackers demanded religious identification and recitation of Islamic prayers--those who failed or identified as Hindu were killed. This was not an indiscriminate act of violence--it was a faith-based massacre," Indian students Surabhi Tomar and Abhishek Chaudhari wrote in the letter. The students condemned Pakistan's response to the attack, as many leaders issued threats towards India. "Even more troubling is the response from Pakistani state officials. While the Pakistani Foreign Ministry issued perfunctory condolences, other leaders have simultaneously issued veiled threats toward India and reaffirmed their support for Kashmiri insurgents, the ideological and logistical base for LeT," the letter added. The students noted that "despite this, senior Pakistani government figures, some directly tied to these statements, are scheduled to attend the Pakistan Conference 2025 at Harvard University. These include Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and others representing institutions complicit in ideologically or materially enabling religiously motivated terrorism." "Senator Rubio, we respectfully urge you to recommend that the US State Department revoke the visas of all Pakistani officials travelling to the United States for this conference," the letter added. In another letter to the leaders of Harvard, the students said that "Harvard has always stood for equity, global justice, and human dignity. In recent years, the university has taken meaningful stances in support of communities affected by racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hatred." "We now ask for the same clarity, courage, and compassion for Hindu and Indian students grieving the targeted killing of members of their faith. We request you to take a stance against Hinduphobia," it added.
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'Support Hindus': Harvard In Hot Water For Hosting Pak Conference After Pahalgam Attack
/ Apr 30, 2025, 06:54AM IST Harvard University is facing backlash after hosting a Pakistan-focused conference days after the Pahalgam terror attack. Indian students Surabhi Tomar and Abhishek Chaudhuri protested the event, calling it insensitive and dangerous. They urged Harvard to condemn the Pahalgam killings and avoid whitewashing state-backed terrorism. The South Asia Institute later distanced itself from the conference, claiming it provided only limited support. Harvard removed details of the event from its website after outrage grew.
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Harvard under fire for hosting Pakistan conference after Pahalgam terror attack
TOI correspondent from Washington : Harvard University's South Asia Institute, bankrolled by Indian billionaire Laxmi Mittal , distanced itself from a "Pakistan conference" it platformed on Sunday after a backlash from some Indian students, even as Pakistan, embarrassed over having to use an Indian-funded facility, vowed to regain its diminishing footprint in US academia . Controversy over the one-day conference erupted after two Indian students, Surabhi Tomar and Abhishek Chaudhuri, in a letter to the university management, urged Harvard to "ensure its campus does not become a platform for whitewashing state-enabled religious terrorism " in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack that killed 26 people. 'Welcoming representatives of a government that enables or justifies terrorism risks Harvard being complicit. The United States must not host representatives of a state that protects and promotes organisations targeting civilians based on faith,' the students said in a separate letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Pakistan's finance minister Muhammed Aurangazeb and its ambassador to US Rizwan Shaeed Sheikh were among the delegates to the conference. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This All-Natural Oil Is Helping Men Combat ED Without Side Effects Boost Your Potency Naturally Undo Among other demands, the students urged the Harvard management to issue a public statement condemning the Pahalgam attack and provide emotional and institutional support to affected students, seeking, "clarity, courage, and compassion for Hindu and Indian students grieving the targeted killing of members of their faith." An administrator at the South Asia Institute told TOI that the conference was organized by Pakistani students and the institute did not host it beyond providing "some support." However, the Institute's executive director, Hitesh Hathi, took part in a discussion with Pakistani historian Ayesha Jalal on "The Enlightened Muslim: Examining the intersection of religion, modernity, and state formation in Pakistan." The Institute later scrubbed the conference and the panel discussion from its website, a link showing the message, " The page you requested could not be found." While some Indian students expressed anger at Harvard and SAI platforming the event, others mocked the Pakistani effort, ridiculing a country that is so broke that it required an Indian billionaire to platform its conference. Although organized by Pakistani students at Harvard, the conference, according to some attendees, was also ostensibly aimed at rejuvenating the country's diminishing footprint in US academia. Among others, Hamid Mir, a prominent Pakistani journalist who was a delegate at the conference and also reported on it, repeatedly invoked the Indian clout in US academia, leading Pakistan's ambassador to the US to pledge that Islamabad would work to restore several Pakistan chairs that were defunct, including the Quaid e Azam chair at Columbia University. According to Open Doors, which tracks foreign student inflow into the US. Pakistan currently has 10,988 students enrolled in American higher education institutions, compared to 331,602 students from India, the highest among all countries, followed by China at 277,398. Even Bangladesh (17,099) and Nepal (16,742) have more students in the US than Pakistan, whose international reputation has suffered on account of hosting terrorist groups and purported use terrorism as a policy instrument.
The Print
29-04-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Indian students at Harvard protest Pakistani delegates' visit post Pahalgam, ask Rubio to revoke visas
The letter, signed by Harvard Kennedy School students Surabhi Tomar and Abhishek Chaudhari on behalf of concerned students, alleged that the attack—carried out by militants linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)—targeted Hindu civilians based on their faith. The students described it as a 'faith-based massacre' as survivors reported being interrogated about their religion before the killings. In a letter addressed to Harvard President Dr Alan Garber, Provost John F. Manning, Harvard Kennedy School Dean Jeremy Weinstein, and the Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Indian students urged the academic institution to publicly condemn the 22 April attack and reconsider hosting Pakistani officials at the Pakistan Conference 2025. New Delhi: The aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack has now spilled over to other parts of the world. Indian students at Harvard University in the United States are protesting the upcoming visit of Pakistani delegates to the campus, accusing Pakistan's government of supporting religiously motivated terrorism against Hindus in India. 'These acts of violence were not indiscriminate—they were calculated attacks based solely on religious identity,' the letter read. 'Harvard must ensure its campus does not become a platform for whitewashing state-enabled religious terrorism.' The Indian students expressed particular concern that Pakistani delegates, including the country's finance minister, Muhammad Aurangzeb, are slated to speak at the conference, despite Pakistan's Senate's new resolution reaffirming its support for Kashmir's so-called 'freedom struggle', which they argued is often used to justify violence against Indian civilians. 'Welcoming representatives of a government that not only denies accountability for, but also ideologically supports such religion-based terrorism, risks Harvard being complicit in legitimising those who enable or justify these crimes,' the letter added. The concerned students further asked Garber to issue a public statement condemning the Pahalgam attack, and affirming the university's support for victims of religion-based violence, reconsider the participation of Pakistani officials at the upcoming Pakistan Conference 2025 and provide emotional and institutional support to affected students through the Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. In a parallel move, the students also wrote to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging the Trump administration to revoke the visas of Pakistani officials travelling for the event. They called on the US government to 'stand with victims and uphold America's moral clarity in the face of terrorism'. 'Welcoming representatives of a government that enables or justifies terrorism risks Harvard being complicit,' the joint letter to Rubio read. 'The United States must not host representatives of a state that protects and promotes organisations targeting civilians based on faith.' (Edited by Mannat Chugh) Also Read: In touch with both India & Pakistan, US calls for 'responsible' solution after Pahalgam attack
News18
28-04-2025
- Politics
- News18
‘Take Stance Against Hinduphobia': Indian Students Oppose Pakistani Event At Harvard After Pahalgam Attack
The students expressed grief over the attack and said that the terrorists carried out the assault deliberately on Hindu tourists by verifying their religion and then executed them. Pahalgam terror attack: Indian students studying in US' Harvard University have urged the management to review the participation of Pakistani officials at the Pakistan Conference 2025 in the university in wake of the Pahalgam attack which claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly tourists and left several others injured. In a letter addressed to the Harvard management, two Indian students, Surabhi Tomar and Abhishek Chaudhari, expressed grief over the terror attack and said that the terrorists carried out the assault deliberately on Hindu tourists by verifying their religion and then executed them. 'These acts of violence were not indiscriminate— they were calculated attacks based solely on religious identity," they said in the letter. They further emphasised that Pakistan has also issued provocative threats of retaliation to New Delhi over subsequent restrictions imposed on Islamabad after the attack. 'While formally denying involvement, Pakistan's ministers and lawmakers have simultaneously issued aggressive warnings to India and reaffirmed their support for insurgent activity in Kashmir. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has even issued threats of retaliation, should India take any 'kinetic step" in response," the letter read. The Indian students, pursuing Edward S. Mason Program in Public Policy and Management at Harvard Kennedy School, further expressed their opposition to the organisation of Pakistan Conference 2025 which is being scheduled to take place in the university. Pakistani delegates—including Minister of Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb and other high-ranking figures—are expected to participate in the upcoming event. 'Welcoming representatives of a government that not only denies accountability for but also ideologically supports such religion-based terrorism, risks Harvard being complicit in legitimizing those who enable or justify these crimes," the letter said. The students then urged the Harvard management to issue a public statement condemning the attack; review the participation of Pakistani officials at the upcoming conference; and provide emotional and institutional support to affected students. 'We ask for the clarity, courage, and compassion for Hindu and Indian students grieving the targeted killing of members of their faith. We request you to take a stance against Hinduphobia," it read. 'We respectfully request that Harvard University: 1. Issue a public statement condemning the Pahalgam terror attacks and affirming support for victims of religion-based violence. 2. Review the participation of Pakistani officials at the Pakistan Conference 2025 in light of their government's ideological and rhetorical support for groups like LeT. 3. Provide emotional and institutional support to affected students through the Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging," the letter read. 'This is not about political posturing. It is about moral clarity. Harvard must ensure its campus does not become a platform for whitewashing state-enabled religious terrorism, the letter concluded. What Happened In Pahalgam? In one of the biggest attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, Lashkar-linked terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists in Pahalgam on Tuesday, April 22, killing at least 26 people, including foreign tourists, and injuring many others. The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar offshoot, claimed the responsibility for the attack. Terrorists targeted a group of people, including women and elderly individuals, in the brazen attack afternoon. After the attack, the diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan downgraded with New Delhi announcing several punitive measures, including suspension of Indus Water Treaty, cutting Islamabad Mission strength and expulsion of its military attaches. First Published:
