Srinagar, Apr 12: Kashmiri students associated with the US-based non-profit Kashmir Care Foundation have reportedly come under the scrutiny of central intelligence agencies, soon after three top Kashmiri universities snapped ties with the organisation over ‘adverse inputs’.
Top sources told Greater Kashmir that the students who had been interning, collaborating, or engaging remotely with the foundation are being “flagged for background verification” as part of a broader review triggered by what officials described as “adverse inputs” related to the NGO’s activities.
The development comes days after three leading institutions — University of Kashmir, Islamic University of Science and Technology, and Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir — formally terminated their Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and agreements with the foundation with immediate effect.
Officials familiar with the matter said that while no wrongdoing has been established against individual students, their association with the NGO has drawn the attention of central agencies amid heightened scrutiny of foreign collaborations.
There has been no official advisory issued so far, but students have been informally cautioned to exercise discretion in their engagements with foreign organisations, particularly those now under review.
The move to place students under scrutiny follows a series of decisions by universities to sever ties with the foundation after internal reviews.
The University of Kashmir cited that continuation of the MoU was “not in the larger interest” of the institution, while the Islamic University of Science and Technology invoked exit provisions in its agreement to cancel the collaboration.
At Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, a research agreement signed in 2025 was also scrapped through an official memorandum, marking complete disengagement.
Though authorities have not publicly detailed the nature of the “adverse inputs,” sources indicated that the collaborations came under scanner during sensitive review processes involving external linkages and data-sharing concerns.
The fallout has also extended to faculty members who were part of the collaboration.
Emails accessed by media organisations show that some academicians have formally distanced themselves from the NGO, clarifying that their association was strictly under university directives and that they had no prior knowledge of the organisation.
They have also requested removal of their profiles and cessation of communication with the foundation.
Importantly, all three universities have maintained that no funds were exchanged and no liabilities were created during the course of the agreements, suggesting that the collaborations remained largely limited to academic outreach and proposed initiatives.
The episode has triggered wider concern within academic and student communities in Kashmir, with experts pointing to increasing caution around international collaborations, particularly in areas involving research, technology, and digital data.
