A Columbia University seminar titled “Rapid Response: The India-Pakistan Conflict,” organized by the Institute of Global Politics (IGP) at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), sparked significant controversy within the Indian community on campus due to its initial framing.
The event, to held on May 12 evening (India time), drew criticism for equating “Hindu nationalism in India” with “Islamism in Pakistan’s military-intelligence community” as root causes of the conflict, a comparison that overlooked Pakistan-backed terrorism in the region.
The controversy stemmed from the seminar’s description, which failed to address a terrorist attack on April 22 in the Baisaran Valley of Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 civilians were killed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a front for the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The attackers targeted victims based on their religious identity, marking it as a religiously motivated massacre.
Aaditya Tiwari, a Columbia SIPA alumnus, highlighted this omission on X, stating, “Columbia’s event description failed to mention the religiously motivated massacre, instead choosing to cite ‘Hindu nationalism’ as a root cause of the conflict—drawing false equivalence between a democracy and a terror-sponsoring state.”
In response, Tiwari and Tarang Singhal, both SIPA graduates, led a petition titled “Statement by Indian Students, Alumni, and Faculty of Columbia University on the Framing of the Upcoming IGP Rapid Response Seminar.” Supported by over 100 Indian students, alumni, and faculty, the petition called the comparison “analytically flawed and morally irresponsible,” arguing it conflated India’s democratic dynamics with a state known for supporting terrorism. It emphasized the Pahalgam attack, stating, “This was not an ambiguous episode of ‘conflict’—this was a massacre of innocent civilians based on their faith.” The petition criticized Columbia for “obfuscating the truth” and contributing to a “growing and dangerous pattern” in Western academia by portraying Hindus and Hindu identity through a lens of suspicion.
Within 48 hours, the petition gained traction, prompting IGP to revise the seminar’s description on May 10. The updated version removed the controversial equivalence, focusing instead on the conflict’s broader geopolitical implications and the role of major powers like the United States in preventing escalation.
IGP responded, stating, “It was never our intention to suggest equivalence between Hindu nationalism and state-sponsored terrorism. We regret the inadvertent effects of the initial phrasing,” as shared by Tiwari on X. Reflecting on the advocacy, Tiwari noted, “This incident shows how easily false equivalences and biased framings can seep into elite academic narratives. It’s up to students and faculty to hold institutions accountable. This time, we did just that.”
The seminar proceeded as scheduled, featuring Shamila Chaudhary, former National Security Council Director for Pakistan and Afghanistan; Jon Finer, former Principal Deputy National Security Advisor and IGP Carnegie Distinguished Fellow; Rajan Menon, Emeritus Anne and Bernard Spitzer Chair in Political Science at the City College of New York; Mike Pompeo, 70th U.S. Secretary of State and IGP Carnegie Distinguished Fellow; and Rumela Sen, Lecturer and Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies Affiliated Faculty Member. Stephen Biddle, Professor of International and Public Affairs, moderated the panel. Introductory remarks were delivered by Hillary Rodham Clinton, Professor of International and Public Affairs and 67th U.S. Secretary of State.