Washington, DC: Following the recent “faith-based massacre” in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 people were killed by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, Indian students at the Harvard Kennedy School have written to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to request that he cancel the visas of Pakistani officials in protest of the impending visit of Pakistani delegates to the campus. Delegates from Pakistan must go to Harvard University for the Pakistan Conference in 2025.

As Harvard Kennedy School students, we are very troubled by the recent targeted terrorist incident that took place in Pahalgam, India, on April 22, 2025. Survivors attest that the assailants required the recital of Islamic prayers and religious identification; those who did not comply or who identified as Hindu were slain. Indian students Surabhi Tomar and Abhishek Chaudhari submitted the letter to Rubio on behalf of the Harvard University students who were worried, saying, “This was not an indiscriminate act of violence–it was a faith-based massacre.”

“The reaction from Pakistani governmental authorities is much more concerning. Other leaders have concurrently made covert threats against India and reiterated their backing for Kashmiri militants, who serve as LeT’s ideological and logistical backbone, while the Pakistani Foreign Ministry offered clichéd condolences,” the letter said.

“In spite of this, senior Pakistani government officials, some of whom have a direct connection to these remarks, are scheduled to attend the Pakistan Conference 2025 at Harvard University,” the students wrote. These include Muhammad Aurangzeb, the finance minister, and other representatives of organizations that support religiously motivated terrorism either monetarily or philosophically.

“Senator Rubio, we respectfully urge you to recommend that the US State Department revoke the visas of all Pakistani officials traveling to the United States for this conference,” the letter said.

Additionally, the students confirmed in a separate letter to Harvard’s officials that “Harvard has always stood for equity, global justice, and human dignity.” The institution has made significant statements recently to help populations impacted by racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other hate crimes.

“We now want the same understanding, bravery, and empathy for Indian and Hindu students who are mourning the targeted murder of followers of their religion. We ask that you stand up against Hinduphobia,” it said.