After Airstrikes, Indians, Pakistanis at Harvard Call for De-Escalation of Tensions

New Delhi: A group of more than 140 Indian and Pakistani students and staff members at Harvard University have issued a statement in support of lasting peace between the two countries. They have asked both governments, citizens and the media to support a de-escalation of the recent tensions between the two South Asian neighbours.

You can read the full text of their statement below.

§

We are a group of Indian and Pakistani students, staff, and faculty of Harvard University who add our voices to the call for a de-escalation of the tensions between India and Pakistan.

Having had the opportunity to interact with people from our neighbouring country, we are constantly reminded of our shared history, heritage, and culture. We are alike in our shared desire for long term peaceful relations between our two countries.

We call upon our national media to report responsibly and resist from warmongering during this tense time.

We urge our fellow citizens to exercise restraint and not call for escalating retribution.

Also read: Imran Khan Calls for Better Sense to Prevail; India Protests 'Vulgar Display' of Indian Pilot

We demand our elected representatives work towards long-term resolution of conflict, rather than short term electoral gains.

We hope our governments explore all options of diplomacy, and not put further civilian and military lives at risk.

We stand in solidarity for peace.

1. Salil Shetty, Bengaluru, Fellow, Carr Centre, Harvard Kennedy School
2. Afreen Siddiqui, Adjunct Lecturer Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
3. Vinay Nagaraju, Fellow, Carr Center for Human Rights, India, Harvard Kennedy School
4. South Asian Engagement Forum, a Student Organisation at Harvard Kennedy School
5. Pakistan Student Caucus, a Student Organisation at Harvard Kennedy School
6. Harvard Pakistan Students Group, Harvard University
7. Pakistan Student Association, Harvard College
8. South Asia ConnectED, Harvard Education School
9. South Asia Association, Harvard College
10. Shah Faesal, Jammu and Kashmir, Harvard Kennedy School
11. Asad Palijo, Karachi, Harvard Kennedy School
12. Saif Ul Haq, Islamabad, Harvard Kennedy School
13. Inayat Sabhikhi, Delhi, Harvard Kennedy School
14. Naeha Rashid, Islamabad, Harvard Kennedy School
15. Neha Bansal, India, Harvard Kennedy School
16. Vishnu Rajeev, Kerala, Harvard Kennedy School
17. Kaveri Iychettira, Bengaluru, Belfer Center, Harvard Kennedy School
18. Munmun Biswas, India, Harvard Kennedy School
19. Asad Liaqat, Pakistan, Harvard Kennedy School
20. Niharika Narendra Singh, India, Harvard Kennedy School
21. Vikas Birhma, Jhajjar, Haryana, Harvard Kennedy School
22. Sanjana Rajgarhia, Mumbai, Harvard Kennedy School
23. Mathangi Swaminathan, India, Harvard Kennedy School
24. Aisha Iqbal, Pakistan, Harvard Kennedy School
25. Preeti Pratishruti Dash, India, Harvard Law School
26. Muhammad Ahmad, Pakistan, Harvard Medical School
27. Waqar Khan, Pakistan, Harvard Business School
28. Haider Ali, Pakistan, Harvard Business School
29. Muhammad Ali, Pakistan, Harvard Kennedy School
30. Zahra Zaheer, Pakistan, Graduate School of Education
31. Badar Dar, Pakistan, Harvard Business School
32. Laila Tauqeer, Pakistan, Harvard College
33. Ammar Waraich, Faisalabad, Pakistan, Harvard Kennedy School
34. Muhammad Qasim Chattha, Islamabad, Harvard Divinity School
35. Neetisha Besra, India, Harvard Kennedy School
36. Rridhee Malhotra, Delhi, India, Harvard Kennedy School
37. Kirtika Singh, India, Harvard Kennedy School
38. Ghazi Taimoor Mirza, Pakistan, Harvard Graduate School of Education
39. Radhika Kapoor, India, Harvard Law School
40. Shovan Shah, Mumbai, Harvard Graduate School of Design
41. Vikram Srinivas, Bangalore, India, MPA/ID, Harvard Kennedy School
42. Rahul Gandhi, MD, MPH, MBA, India, Harvard School of Public Health
43. Karan Saharya, New Delhi, Harvard Graduate School of Design
44. Devashish Chandra, India, Harvard Kennedy School
45. Noopur Sen, India, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Law School
46. Ashrutha Rai, Bangalore, India, Harvard Law School
47. Muhammad Khisal Ahmed, Islamabad, Pakistan, Harvard Graduate School of Education
48. Viveka Rajagopal, Chennai, Harvard Graduate School of Education
49. Faryal Khan, Ed.D., Isakhel, Pakistan, Visiting Practitioner, Harvard Graduate School of Education
50. Ameek Singh, India, Harvard Kennedy School
51. Zainab Tariq, Karachi, Pakistan, Harvard Graduate School of Education
52. Saeb Ali Khan, Hyderabad, India, Harvard Graduate School of Design
53. Ahmed Farooq, Pakistan, Harvard Law School
54. Tanya Kant, India, Graduate School of Education
55. Nafees Ahmed, Swat, Pakistan, Harvard Kennedy School
56. Muhammad Ali Khan, Lahore, Pakistan, Harvard Kennedy School
57. Annapurna Ayyappan, India, Harvard Graduate School of Education
58. Anushka Siddiqui, Delhi, Harvard Kennedy School
59. 60. 59. Natasha Murtaza, Pakistan, Harvard Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
60. Zainab Hashmi, Karachi, Pakistan, Harvard Law School
61. Izzah Ejaz, Pakistan, Harvard Graduate School of Education
62. Wahdana Bilal, Peshawar, Harvard Law School
63. Saki Malose, India, Harvard Graduate School of Education
64. Murali Mallikarjunan, India, Harvard Graduate School of Education
65. Karishma Mhapadi, India, Harvard Graduate School of Education
66. Prasanth Nori, India, Harvard Graduate School of Education
67. Maithili Parikh, India, Harvard Law School
68. Hamza Ansari, Canadian Pakistani, Harvard
69. Hemanth Bharatha Chakravarthy, Chennai, India, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
70. Preeti Sahai, India, MC MPA, Harvard Kennedy School
71. Jyoti Gupta, New Delhi, Harvard Kennedy School
72. Shreyvardhan Sharma, India, Harvard College, Class of 2022
73. Natasha Jehangir Khan, Pakistan, Harvard Kennedy School
74. Zuneera Shah, Lahore, Harvard College
75. Farhan Javed, Pakistan, Harvard College Class of 2019
76. Ali Chisti, MD, MPH, Pakistan, Harvard School of Public Health 2014
77. Malik Siraj Akbar, Pakistan, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
78. Mashaal Sohail, Karachi, Pakistan, Harvard GSAS/HMS Alum '18
79. Huma, Islamabad, Harvard Kennedy School
80. Omair Shakil, Lahore, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
81. M Chanta Bhan, Pakistan/US, Harvard Divinity School
82. Thomas Varghese, Kochi, India, Harvard Divinity School
83. Abhijith Ravinutala, Indian-American, Harvard Divinity School MTS '19
84. Akbar Zaman Saeed, Pakistan, Harvard University
85. Arkam Javed, Pakistan, Harvard College
86. Tanvi Girotra, India, Harvard Kennedy School
87. Sakina Haider, Pakistan, Harvard Kennedy School
88. Kanupriya, India, Harvard Graduate School of Education
89. Sardar Karim, Pakistan, Harvard Kennedy School
90. Minahil Khan, Lahore, Pakistan, Harvard College 2019
91. Snigdha Kumar, India, Harvard Kennedy School
92. Harvard US-India Initiative, India, Harvard College
93. Awais Ahmed, Pakistan, Harvard Medical School
94. Beena Sarwar, Pakistan, Nieman '06, Carr Fellow Harvard Kennedy School 2007
95. Sana Rao, Karachi, Pakistan, Harvard Business Publications
96. Sannoy Das, India, SJD, Harvard Law School
97. Maria Qazi, Islamabad, Harvard Kennedy School
98. Rohit Gawande, USA/India, Harvard Kennedy School
99. Raissa Chughtai, Lahore, Pakistan, Harvard College
100. Anum Chandani, Pakistan, Harvard Business School
101. Maya Razmi, Cleveland, Ohio, Harvard College
102. Ay-Nur Najm, U.S./Pakistan, Harvard Graduate School of Education
103. Abeela Latif, Pakistan, Harvard Graduate School of Education
104. Dilara Sayeed, Chicago, Harvard Graduate School of Education
105. Hamza Ali Khan, Pakistan, Harvard Business School
106. Fatima Taj, American Pakistani, Harvard College
107. Zainab Kahloon, Pakistan, Harvard College 2020
108. Ali Nomani, Pakistan, Graduate School of Education
109. Sana Saeed, Pakistan, Harvard Divinity School
110. Zarka, Pakistan, Harvard Extension School
111. Gunjan Veda, India, Harvard Kennedy School
112. Mariam Chughtai, Lahore, Pakistan, Harvard University
113. Gul Rana, Cambridge, MA, Harvard Extension School
114. Zeerak Ahmed, Lahore, Alumnus & Researcher, Harvard School of Engineering &
Applied Sciences, Harvard Graduate School of Design
115. Sheza Atiq, Karachi, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
116. Ryan Madsen, United States, Harvard Kennedy School
117. Sonya Kalara, Bengal, Punjab, India, Harvard College
118. Omar Sultan Haque, M.D., Ph.D., United States, Harvard Medical School
119. Malik Siraj Akbar, Washington DC, Harvard Kennedy School
120. Rangin Pallav Tripathy, India, Visiting Researcher, Harvard Law School
121. Fatima Zaman, Pakistan, Harvard Medical School
122. Inaara Shiraz, Pakistan, Harvard College
123. Akash Sabarwal, Jhansi, India, Division of Nephrology, Harvard Medical School
124. Armaan Siddiqi, Cambridge, MA, PhD Student, Harvard University
125. Rashi Khilnani, Canada, Harvard Kennedy School
126. Mohammed Mobashir, Pakistan, Harvard Extension School
127. Muhammad Zia Mehmood, Pakistan, Harvard Kennedy School
128. Muhammad Umair Khan, Pakistan, Harvard Graduate School of Education
129. Anurag Gamber, Delhi, Harvard Kennedy School
130. Emaad Siddiqui, United Kingdom, Harvard Kennedy School
131. Asma Javaid, Pakistan, Harvard University
132. RB, Chennai, Harvard Extension School
133. Anum Shafqat, Chicago, Harvard College
134. Aaisha Shah, Pakistan, Harvard College
135. Jemul Hasan, Bangaldesh, Harvard Kennedy School
136. Irfan Moeen Khan, Pakistan, Harvard Faculty of Arts
137. Harshita Gupta, Mumbai, India, Harvard College
138. Maria Mujeeb, Pakistan, Harvard University, Alum 2017
139. Wajahat S. Khan, Pakistan, Shorenstein Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School, 2011
140. Meena Hewett, Mumbai, India, The Mittal South Asia Institute
141. Yahya Chaudhry, Pakistan, Harvard Kennedy School

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.