A recent Harvard University event hosted by its South Asia Institute—funded by Lakshmi Mittal and family—has drawn sharp criticism from Indian students for featuring top Pakistani officials just days after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. Among the attendees were Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and its Ambassador to the US, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh.

The April 22 attack was initially claimed by The Resistance Front, an affiliate of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, before the group retracted responsibility. The timing of the Harvard event, and its hosting of Pakistani representatives, sparked outrage among Indian students, who viewed it as an endorsement of a regime linked to terrorism.

In protest, students Surabhi Tomar and Abhishek Chaudhuri wrote to Harvard’s leadership and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stating that the university “risks being complicit” by giving a platform to officials from a state that allegedly backs terrorism. They demanded a public condemnation of the Pahalgam attack and urged the US to avoid hosting representatives of such regimes.

Following the backlash, Harvard distanced itself from the controversy, quietly deleting online references to the event. The university clarified that its role was limited to logistical support and did not officially endorse the conference.

Further controversy erupted after it was revealed that South Asia Institute’s Executive Director Hitesh Hathi participated in a panel alongside Pakistani-American historian Ayesha Jalal. Event details and entire session descriptions have since disappeared from the institute’s website.