Harvard’s Pakistan Conference: How Academia Whitewashes Terrorism

• Top Western universities like Harvard are increasingly glorifying violent ideologies that threaten India’s unity and sovereignty.
• Their deep-rooted Hindu-hate has now evolved into a subtle but dangerous support system for anti-Hindu and anti-India terrorism.
• Harvard’s “Pakistan Conference,” held just days after the Pahalgam terror attack, invited senior Pakistani officials — a move that appeared to whitewash violence against Hindus.
• There are striking similarities between the spread of Hinduphobia and antisemitism on elite Western campuses.
• While the U.S. government has taken strong action against campus antisemitism, Hinduphobia remains ignored and unchecked.
• There are troubling signs that foreign funding to elite U.S. universities may be linked to the academic glorification of terrorism and anti-India narratives.

French philosopher Michel Foucault pointed out that power is deeply woven into how knowledge is created and used. Foucault’s insights remain relevant today as powerful global actors continue to shape what is accepted as valid knowledge. They influence academic agendas and promote certain ways of thinking, while sidelining others. This is especially true for elite Western universities, which have become hubs of anti-Hindu and anti-India propaganda. The constant stream of toxic narratives coming from these institutions turns them into ideological time bombs, slowly spreading soft poison that threatens India’s unity.

The book Snakes in the Ganga: Breaking India 2.0 warns about the dangerous role of universities like Harvard in this “Breaking India” agenda. The authors urge the Indian government to investigate Harvard’s activities and prevent it from meddling in India’s internal affairs. The book also explains how Harvard is trying to erase India’s civilizational narrative and replace it with one that undermines Indian sovereignty.[1]

What’s most alarming is how elite Western universities like Harvard are increasingly glorifying violent ideologies that threaten India’s integrity. These institutions are fast turning into terror apologists, offering platforms to those involved in anti-India and anti-Hindu violence to rewrite their crimes as activism. Even worse, these universities are not only exposing students to radical and subversive ideas but also silencing anyone who dares to question them. Harvard’s recent decision to host a Pakistan-focused conference just days after the Pahalgam terror attack shows how far elite academia has gone in whitewashing terrorism.

In the next sections, we examine how the deep-rooted Hindudvesha within these institutions has evolved into a full-fledged, covert doctrine that enables and justifies terror.

Harvard’s Pakistan Conference

In a move that blatantly disregards Hindu sentiments and undermines India’s national security, Harvard University hosted the “Pakistan Conference” on April 27 — just days after the Pahalgam terror attack. Organized by Harvard’s South Asia Institute, which is funded by Lakshmi Mittal and family, the event featured top Pakistani figures, including Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Pakistan’s Ambassador to the U.S., Rizwaan Saeed Sheikh.

As Indian students voiced strong objections, Harvard attempted to deflect criticism by claiming the event was student-led and that the university had no say in the speakers or agenda — a classic case of diplomatic evasion.[2]

Harvard’s so-called neutrality over the Pakistan Conference exposes the double standards of elite Western universities. They often hide behind the excuse of “academic freedom,” but apply it very selectively. For example, many U.S. universities have openly boycotted Israeli institutions over the Israel-Gaza conflict — a move so extreme that the U.S. National Institutes of Health has now blocked funding to colleges supporting such boycotts.[3] Yet, when it comes to Pakistan’s clear role in sponsoring cross-border terrorism, the same universities stay silent, offering platforms to terror-linked voices while calling it “freedom of expression.” This is nothing but woke virtue signaling that ends up legitimizing terror.

Lakshmi Mittal, the Indian-origin billionaire whose family funds Harvard’s South Asia Institute, faced heavy backlash for indirectly sponsoring the conference. As hashtags like #ShameOnMittal and #BoycottPakistanConference trended on social media, the Mittal family tried to distance itself by claiming they were not consulted — a weak excuse that failed to convince many.[4]

There is a website dedicated to the conference still accessible in the public domain. A cursory look at the agenda sheds ample light on the underlying motivations.[5] It’s no secret that Pakistan’s military elite are deeply embedded in its terror machinery. The country not only trains and shelters terrorists but glorifies them as national heroes. Victims of this ecosystem include not just India, but several Western nations as well. Yet, Harvard chose to host a conference that ignored these realities, painting Pakistan as a democracy on the path to good governance — a narrative that is clearly detached from the truth.

There’s little doubt that the real purpose of this event was to whitewash Pakistan’s long-standing support for radical Islamic extremism. Even if the event was scheduled before the Pahalgam terror attack, the fact that the speakers failed to condemn the violence or express basic sensitivity speaks volumes about the agenda behind the conference — and confirms the concerns raised by the Indian student community.[6]

The event might have gone unnoticed if not for the bold stand taken by two Indian students at Harvard — Surabhi Tomar and Abhishek Chaudhari. They wrote to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging him to revoke the visas of the Pakistani officials attending the conference. They also addressed a letter to Harvard’s management, highlighting that several senior Pakistani officials had made indirect threats against India and openly supported Kashmiri insurgents. The letter further noted that the conference featured figures like Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, just days after the Pakistani Senate passed a resolution endorsing what it called Kashmir’s “freedom struggle.”[7]

Despite strong opposition from Indian students and clear evidence linking some of the invited officials to cross-border terrorism, Harvard went ahead with the conference — a telling reflection of its priorities. When the issue made national headlines, Harvard tried to save face by distancing itself from the event, but the damage was done.

What truly stood out was the courage and resolve of the Indian student community at Harvard in calling out anti-India propaganda disguised as academic discourse. Economist Sanjeev Sanyal praised the students for their stand against Pakistan-sponsored terror, especially in the wake of the Pahalgam attack that targeted Hindus based on their faith. “For the first time, perhaps since the Ghadar movement 100 years ago, we’re seeing Indian students at an elite U.S. university stand up for their country,” Sanyal wrote on X. “Usually, students either stay silent or join the India-bashing chorus. Super proud of Surabhi and Abhishek.”[8]

Normalizing Hate

There are striking parallels between the spread of Hinduphobia and antisemitism on elite Western university campuses, including many in the Ivy League. After the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, U.S. campuses saw a surge in antisemitism. Jewish students and faculty were harassed, intimidated, and even faced open or veiled threats. What followed was a global academic propaganda campaign that tried to rebrand terrorism as “human rights,” “justice,” and “self-determination.” This carefully packaged narrative aimed to whitewash the actions of terror groups like Hamas and make antisemitism appear acceptable under the guise of opposing Israel — a tactic disturbingly similar to how anti-Hindu narratives are normalized on the same campuses.[9] [10] [11]

Pro-Palestine protests in Western universities have been increasingly turning violent. In February, protestors stormed Barnard College’s Milibank Hall, injuring a college employee who tried to stop them from entering the college building, and thus prompting stringent security measures, as per media reports. The protestors repeatedly demanded the reinstatement of two expelled students who had reportedly disrupted a History of Modern Israel class at Columbia University. The masked students entered the classroom, started banging drums, and passed out flyers reading “Crush Zionism”. [12]

Hindu students across elite Western universities are facing a similar pattern of intimidation and discrimination, targeted for their identity, cultural practices, and political views. Meanwhile, these institutions remain silent on the global violence and terror directed at the Hindu community.

A stark example is Rashmi Samant, the first Indian-origin woman elected President of the Oxford University Student Union. She was forced to resign after a vicious smear campaign targeting her Hindu identity and political beliefs. Old social media posts were twisted to brand her “transphobic,” “racist,” and “Islamophobic.” In her book A Hindu in Oxford, Rashmi details how her academic dreams were shattered by racism, bigotry, and institutional apathy — including how her parents were publicly harassed by an Oxford faculty member for their religious views.

More recently, a disturbing case emerged from UC Berkeley, where a Hindu student was allegedly blamed by a professor for the massacre of Hindus in the Pahalgam terror attack. According to the student’s testimony, shared by Hindu on Campus and supported by global Hindu advocacy groups, the professor pressured the student to accept that the violence against Hindus was somehow justified. The incident went unreported in mainstream media.

These cases highlight the double standards of Western academia, which claims to uphold diversity and free speech while turning a blind eye to rising Hinduphobia. [13]

After the 2023 Israel-Palestine conflict, several Ivy League campuses quickly turned into hubs of pro-Palestine — or more accurately, pro-Hamas — activism. In stark contrast, there was complete silence from these same institutions on the Pahalgam terror attack, where Hindus were brutally murdered in front of their families, just because they were Hindu. Instead of condemning such atrocities, Western academia often constructs narratives that portray Hindus as oppressors. As highlighted by StopHindudvesha[14], elite academic circles manipulate frameworks like Critical Race Theory to forcefully equate “caste” with “race,” painting caste as the root of all structural inequality, and Hindus as its primary enforcers.

This distorted narrative serves as intellectual cover for anti-Hindu violence. By casting Hindus as the villains and inflating the caste narrative, Western academia helps whitewash Islamist terrorism against Hindus. At the same time, Islamophobia is condemned with exaggerated fervor, to the point that even Hindu students or scholars who speak out against jihadist violence are branded “Islamophobes.”

While antisemitism is at least acknowledged as a serious issue, Hinduphobia continues to be ignored, even though both spread through similar academic channels. Just as pro-Hamas propaganda is normalized while the Israeli state is demonized and Jewish supporters are vilified, Hinduphobic narratives label any Hindu who condemns Islamist violence as a “Hindutva fascist,” “Hindu fundamentalist,” or even a “Hindu terrorist.”

Trump’s Crackdown on Wokeism

The Trump administration has taken a number of strong steps to rein in the spread of woke ideology on U.S. university campuses. In a bold move against campus antisemitism, the government adopted a hardline approach, warning top Ivy League universities to comply with specific demands or face funding cuts. In March, the administration froze $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University, demanding the expulsion of certain students and reforms in admissions policies. Columbia eventually complied. Similar actions followed at other elite institutions: Princeton faced a suspension of $210 million in research grants, while Cornell reportedly lost over $1 billion in federal funding, and Northwestern University saw $790 million frozen.[15]

A key feature of Trump’s crackdown on wokeism in U.S. universities has been his firm stand against the glorification of terrorism and support for terror apologists. In May, President Trump issued a stern warning to Harvard University, suggesting it could lose its tax-exempt status if it continued promoting extremist, political, or terror-linked ideologies. “Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax-Exempt Status and be taxed as a political entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist-inspired/supporting ‘sickness’? Remember, Tax-Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.[16]

The move came barely weeks after the Trump government froze 2.2. billion USD federal grants over the elite university’s refusal to help stamp out hate and antisemitism on campus.[17]  The administration had sent a letter to Harvard calling for a broad range of leadership and government reforms at the university, as well as a change in admission policies. Some of the key demands included:

• Banning face masks
• Closure of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programmes
• Reforming the admission process for international students to screen for students supporting anti-Semitism and terrorism.
• Reporting international students breaking university conduct policies to federal authorities.[18]

Trump’s crackdown on campus antisemitism is especially significant in light of growing evidence that university administrations and some faculty members are complicit in fueling it.

A study by the AMCHA Initiative has drawn a clear link between rising antisemitic violence on U.S. campuses and the activities of a faculty group called Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP). Using quantitative methods, the study found that campuses with FJP chapters experienced more intense and prolonged anti-Israel protests, along with a sharp rise in threats, including death threats, against Jewish students.[19] The study, which analyzed data from over 100 U.S. universities popular among Jewish students and covered the time period between October 7, 2023, and June 30, 2024, revealed a disturbing surge in antisemitic incidents on campus. During this period, physical assaults against Jewish students increased by a staggering 2,500%, while violent threats — including death threats — rose by 900%. The study also found that campuses with Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP) chapters were especially unsafe for Jewish students. These campuses saw 7.3 times more physical assaults and were 3.4 times more likely to have death threats and other violent threats compared to campuses without FJP chapters. [20]

These findings are especially relevant when viewed alongside the rising Hinduphobia on U.S. campuses and the frequent gaslighting of radical Islamic extremism targeting Hindus. Unlike antisemitism, which is now being tackled with strong policy measures, Hinduphobia remains largely ignored — both by the media and the administration. Very few incidents involving intimidation, bias, or threats against Hindu students ever receive public attention. Despite clear patterns of anti-Hindu propaganda and glorification of terror under the guise of academic freedom, there has been little institutional pushback.

It’s high time Hindu advocacy groups commission rigorous, data-driven studies — similar to the AMCHA Initiative — to document the scale of Hinduphobia across elite Western universities. Without hard evidence and sustained pressure, these issues will continue to be swept under the rug.

Foreign Funding Fuels Academic Radicalization

 In Snakes in the Ganga 2.0, Rajiv Malhotra and Vijaya Viswanathan expose how Chinese billionaires strategically fund Harvard to advance China’s geopolitical interests and push pro-China narratives within Western academia. In stark contrast, Indian billionaires — whether out of ignorance or misplaced prestige — often end up funding institutions that promote aggressively anti-India and anti-Hindu research.

An earlier article by StopHindudvesha explored the troubling connection between overseas funding of elite U.S. universities and the subtle glorification of terrorism within academia. While Saudi Arabia has long been a major donor, Qatar has recently taken center stage. By 2022, Qatar had reportedly become the top foreign funder of U.S. universities, contributing at least $4.7 billion between 2001 and 2021. Qatar also reportedly started donating aggressively to American universities in the aftermath of the September 11 terror attack, “delivering over $200 million on average each year”. [21]

A study by the Network Contagion Research Institute ( NCRI) establishes a direct correlation between foreign funding in US higher education by authoritarian regimes and the erosion of democratic norms and the rise in antisemitic incidents on campus. Most importantly, the report establishes a direct correlation between donations to US universities by Qatar and other Gulf states and the presence of “Students for Justice in Palestine” (SJP) groups on campus. [22]

It’s important to note that Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapters were the primary force behind mobilizing students for pro-Palestine and anti-Israel protests across U.S. campuses after the October 7 Hamas terror attack. These groups organized rallies at several universities, where they openly glorified Hamas terrorists as “martyrs,” called for the “globalization” of violent resistance, and even demanded the destruction of the Jewish state of Israel.[23]

Wrapping Up

 While there is substantial research exploring how funding drives the spread of antisemitism on Western university campuses, similar investigations into the alarming rise of Hinduphobia remain largely absent.

Hindu students in these academic spaces face a deeply entrenched narrative machine that operates in two key ways. First, it works to normalize Hinduphobia by misrepresenting Hinduism, India, and related issues within academic curricula and research. Second, it deploys discursive Hindudvesha as a tool to whitewash actual incidents of terrorism against Hindus, often shifting blame away from perpetrators and erasing the identity of victims.

Hindu advocacy organizations in the West should urge their respective governments to enact stringent policies to curb campus Hinduphobia. The Hindu student community and faculty members should also play a proactive role in publicly naming and shaming events/courses/activities whitewashing anti-India and anti-Hindu terror.

Citations

[1] Snakes in the Ganga by Rajiv Malhotra and Vijaya Viswanathan, p.p. 322-331.

[2]  Harvard faces backlash for hosting Pak officials after Pahalgam terror attack – India Today;    https://www.indiatoday.in/world/us-news/story/harvard-university-top-pakistan-officials-after-pahalgam-terror-attack-glbs-2717160-2025-04-30

[3] US’s NIH bans grants for schools that boycott Israeli companies | The Times of Israel;  https://www.timesofisrael.com/nih-bans-grants-for-schools-that-boycott-israeli-companies/

[4] Mittal family says it was not consulted on Harvard’s Pakistan conference by Institute they funded – The Times of India;  https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/mittal-family-says-it-was-not-consulted-on-harvards-pakistan-conference-by-institute-they-funded/articleshow/120769833.cms

[5] Agenda – Pakistan Conference at Harvard 2025;   https://www.harvardpakistanconference.com/agenda

[6]   Students condemn Harvard for hosting ‘Pakistan Conference’ following Pahalgam attack – The Economic Times;  https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/latest-updates/students-condemn-harvard-for-hosting-pakistan-conference-following-pahalgam-attack/articleshow/120755852.cms?from=mdr

[7] ‘Take stance against Hinduphobia’: Why Harvard University is under fire days after Pahalgam terror attack;  https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/harvard-university-row-pakistan-conference-pahalgam-terror-attack-13884236.html

[8] ‘First time in 100 years’: Sanjeev Sanyal lauds Indian students at Harvard for calling out Pak backed terror – BusinessToday; https://www.businesstoday.in/india/story/first-time-in-100-years-sanjeev-sanyal-lauds-indians-students-at-harvard-for-calling-out-pak-backed-terror-474324-2025-05-01

[9] ADL finds 10,000 antisemitic incidents in US since Hamas’s October 7 attack | The Times of Israel;  https://www.timesofisrael.com/adl-finds-10000-antisemitic-incidents-in-us-since-hamass-october-7-attack/

[10]  Over 1,000 antisemitic incidents on college campuses since October 7 – The Jerusalem Post;   https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-787895

[11]  Anti-Israel student groups plan ‘Week of Rage’ for deadly Hamas terrorist attack anniversary: ‘Boggles   the mind’; https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/10/03/anti-israel-student-groups-plan-week-of-rage-for-deadly-hamas-terrorist-attack-anniversary-boggles-the-mind/

[12]  Barnard College pro-Palestinian protest turns violent – The Forward;  https://forward.com/fast-forward/699868/barnard-college-protests-palestinians-israel/

[13] Hindu On Campus on X;   https://x.com/hinduoncampus/status/1919380191823962551

[14] Hindudvesha’s and UN’s Double Standard; https://stophindudvesha.org/hindudvesha-and-uns-double-standard/

[15]  First Columbia, now Harvard and more… How Trump is targeting elite US universities;  https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/donald-trump-harvard-funding-freeze-us-colleges-13879983.html

[16]  Pushing Terrorist-Inspired Sickness: Donald Trump Slams Harvard University, Threatens To Withdraw Tax Free Status | Republic World;  https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/donald-trump-says-harvard-university-pushing-terrorist-inspired-sickness-wants-it-to-lose-tax-free-status

[17] https://nypost.com/2025/05/02/us-news/trump-to-take-away-harvards-tax-exempt-status/

[18] Why has Trump paused funding for Harvard University? Why is the US president targeting US colleges? – Firstpost; https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/donald-trump-harvard-funding-freeze-us-colleges-13879983.html

[19]Study: US Professors Are Fueling Antisemitic Violence Against Jewish Students – The Media Line;  https://themedialine.org/by-region/study-us-professors-are-fueling-antisemitic-violence-against-jewish-students/

[20] How a Faculty Network Fuels Campus Unrest & Antisemitic Violence: Report by AMCHA Initiative;   https://amchainitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Academic-Extremism-Report_Sept2024.pdf

[21]  HarvardGate – The Varsity Funding Trail from Hell;  https://stophindudvesha.org/harvardgate-the-varsity-funding-trail-from-hell/#_ftn2

[22] Foreign Funding, Campus Speech, and Antisemitism: Report by NCRI;   https://networkcontagion.us/wp-content/uploads/Foreign-funding-of-US-colleges-and-universities-speech-antisemitism-ethics-review-revision.pdf

[23]  HarvardGate – The Varsity Funding Trail from Hell; https://stophindudvesha.org/harvardgate-the-varsity-funding-trail-from-hell/#_ftn3