‘Take Stance Against Hinduphobia': Indian Students Oppose Pakistani Event At Harvard After Pahalgam Attack

News18

28-04-2025

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.
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