Srinagar, Apr 12: Three prominent Kashmir-based universities have terminated their academic agreements with a US-based non-profit, Kashmir Care Foundation (KCF), Atlanta, following what officials describe as “adverse inputs” flagged during internal reviews.
The institutions, University of Kashmir, Islamic University of Science and Technology, and Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, have all issued formal orders over the past weeks cancelling Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and related agreements with immediate effect.
Official documents accessed by news agency Kashmir Dot Com reveal that the University of Kashmir terminated its MoU after a review by competent authorities concluded that continuation of the arrangement was not in the institution’s larger interest, while also clarifying that no financial or academic liabilities had arisen during the period of the agreement.
Similarly, the Islamic University of Science and Technology invoked provisions of its agreement to cancel the MoU, stating that no contractual or financial obligations had accrued between the two sides.
At SKUAST-K, a Letter of Agreement signed in April 2025 was scrapped through an official memorandum issued by its Directorate of Research, marking a complete disengagement from the foundation.
The development has triggered a ripple effect within academic circles, with faculty members associated with the collaboration formally distancing themselves from KCF.
Emails accessed by this news agency show that academicians from IUST have written to the foundation declaring that their association was purely in compliance with university directions, and that they had no prior knowledge of the organisation before the collaboration. They have also sought removal of their profiles and cessation of all communication channels.
While official orders do not elaborate on the specifics, sources indicate that the agreements came under scrutiny following adverse inputs and sensitive observations flagged during review processes, prompting universities to disengage as a precautionary measure.
Importantly, all three universities have underlined that no funds were exchanged and no liabilities created, suggesting that the collaborations remained largely limited to academic outreach and proposed initiatives.
The simultaneous withdrawal by multiple institutions highlights growing caution around foreign academic collaborations, particularly in areas involving technology, research, and data exchange.
A Kashmir born Dr Altaf A. Lal, is the founder and president of the Kashmir Care Foundation (KCF). The Foundation is a non-profit, non-religious organization founded in 2024, designed to connect students in Kashmir with global academic opportunities, mentorship, and mental health support. Headquartered in Atlanta, USA, with initiatives in Jammu & Kashmir, it focuses on education, health, and social science empowerment through initiatives like the KCF-MenToR program.
Meanwhile, sources told KDC that Dr Altaf A. Lal was in Jammu yesterday, where he held meetings at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine led by Director Dr Zabeer Ahmed. (KDC)
