Srinagar, April 12: Three prominent universities based in the Kashmir Valley have formally terminated their academic collaborations with the US-based non-profit organization, Kashmir Care Foundation (KCF), citing the receipt of unspecified adverse inputs.
The University of Kashmir, the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), and the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) have each issued official orders in recent weeks to dissolve Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and associated agreements with immediate effect.
According to details received by The Chenab Times, the University of Kashmir terminated its MoU following a review by its competent authorities. The review concluded that the continuation of the arrangement was not in the institution’s larger interest. The university also clarified that no financial or academic liabilities had arisen during the period of the agreement.
Similarly, the Islamic University of Science and Technology invoked provisions within its agreement to cancel the MoU. An official statement from IUST indicated that no contractual or financial obligations had accrued between the two entities.
At SKUAST-K, a Letter of Agreement that was signed in April 2025 was officially scrapped through a memorandum issued by its Directorate of Research, signifying a complete disengagement from the foundation.
The decision has generated discussions within academic circles, with some faculty members who were associated with the collaboration formally distancing themselves from KCF. Emails accessed by this news agency indicate that academicians from IUST have communicated to the foundation, stating that their involvement was strictly in compliance with university directives and that they lacked prior knowledge of the organization before the collaboration commenced. These academicians have also requested the removal of their profiles and the cessation of all communication channels.
While the official termination orders do not provide specific details regarding the adverse inputs, sources suggest that the agreements came under scrutiny due to sensitive observations flagged during internal review processes. These concerns prompted the universities to disengage from the foundation as a precautionary measure.
Significantly, all three universities have emphasized that there were no financial exchanges or liabilities created as a result of these collaborations, implying that the engagements were primarily focused on academic outreach and proposed initiatives.
The simultaneous withdrawal by multiple educational institutions from Kashmir underscores a growing caution surrounding foreign academic collaborations, particularly in areas involving technology, research, and the exchange of sensitive data. University officials involved in the decision-making process remained tight-lipped about the exact nature of the ‘adverse inputs’ but stressed that the actions were taken in the best interest of institutional integrity and security.
The Chenab Times News Desk