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India Today
29-04-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Harvard faces backlash for hosting Pak officials after Pahalgam terror attack
A recent event on Pakistan held at Harvard University's South Asia Institute, which is funded by Lakshmi Mittal and family, has sparked criticism from Indian students. Top Pakistani officials, like Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Pakistan's Ambassador to the US Rizwan Saeed Sheikh attended the conference, which took place shortly after the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir April 22 attack in Pahalgam claimed 26 lives. India has alleged that Pakistan-based terror groups were involved in the attack. After the incident, anger poured amongst Indian students, who felt that Harvard should not have hosted officials from a country that supports to reports, two Indian students, Surabhi Tomar and Abhishek Chaudhuri, wrote letters to Harvard's leadership and to US Senator Marco Rubio. In their letters, they said the university was wrong to provide a platform to Pakistani government representatives. "Welcoming representatives of a government that enables or justifies terrorism risks Harvard being complicit," the students wrote. They also demanded that Harvard publicly condemn the Pahalgam attack. "The United States must not host representatives of a state that protects and promotes organisations targeting civilians based on faith," their letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio DISTANCES ITSELF AS ONLINE CONTENT DISAPPEARSThe event was reportedly organised by Pakistani students at Harvard. Reports confirmed that the institute's involvement was restricted to offering logistical assistance. (Image Credit:X/@halleyji) advertisementMeanwhile, controversy erupted after it was found that the institute's Executive Director Hitesh Hathi had participated in a panel discussion with Pakistani-American historian Ayesha session, titled "The Enlightened Muslim: Examining the intersection of religion, modernity, and state formation in Pakistan," was one of several event details later removed from the institute's website. Harvard has not officially commented on the removal, but the deleted web pages clearly indicates that the university wants to distance itself from the issue.
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Harvard in hot water as event with top Pakistani officials sparks student outrage after Pahalgam massacre
A recent conference on Pakistan, held at Harvard University's South Asia Institute — funded by Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal — has sparked a backlash among Indian students, prompting the university to quietly distance itself from the event, reported TOI. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack The groundwork before India mounts a strike at Pakistan India considers closing airspace to Pakistani carriers amid rising tensions Cold Start: India's answer to Pakistan's nuclear threats The controversy followed the participation of top Pakistani officials, including Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Ambassador to the US Rizwan Saeed Sheikh. According to the report, Indian students at Harvard expressed outrage over the university offering space to representatives of a country they claim supports terrorism, especially in light of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in J&K that killed 26 people. The tragedy has led to an escalation of tensions between the disputed India and Pakistan after terror links to the latter were discovered in the attack. Two Indian students, Surabhi Tomar and Abhishek Chaudhuri, penned letters to Harvard's leadership and to US Senator Marco Rubio, arguing that providing a platform to Pakistani officials risks legitimsing state-sponsored violence. They urged Harvard to publicly denounce the Pahalgam attack and offer support to grieving Indian and Hindu students through a statement. The students further asked the renowned ivy league university to "ensure its campus does not become a platform for whitewashing state-enabled religious terrorism.' Live Events '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,' a separate letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio read. Meanwhile, a representative from the South Asia Institute told TOI that the event was initiated by Pakistani students and the institute's involvement was limited to offering minimal logistical assistance. Institute quietly scrubs event details While the Mittal South Asia Institute maintained it only gave limited logistical support, its executive director Hitesh Hathi was a participant in a session on with Pakistani-American historian Ayesha Jalal, said the TOI report. That session, on The Enlightened Muslim: Examining the intersection of religion, modernity, and state formation in Pakistan,' and other references to the event, were later removed from the institute's website without explanation. The university has not issued a formal statement addressing the criticism, but the removal of online materials suggests a desire to minimise association with the controversy. Pakistan seeks academic revival The episode also brought attention to Pakistan's declining visibility in US academia. Attendees noted that the event was likely intended, at least in part, to counter this trend. According to the TOI report, Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir, who reported on the conference, stressed India's academic dominance, prompting Pakistan's ambassador to vow efforts to reinstate now-defunct academic programs such as the Quaid-e-Azam Chair at Columbia University. Data from Open Doors suggest that Pakistan lags far behind in international student numbers, with just under 11,000 students currently studying in the US — a stark contrast to India's 331,000. Even smaller neighbours like Bangladesh and Nepal send more students to American universities. Analysts further suggest that Pakistan's poor international image, shaped by longstanding associations with extremist groups, is hampering its academic outreach abroad.
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.
