Pahalgam terror attack: Indian students at Harvard protest Pakistani delegates' visit

Time of India

30-04-2025

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.