New Delhi: Over 100 people associated with Harvard University, including students, faculty and alumni, have issued a statement expressing concern about the detention of former IAS officer turned politician and Harvard student Shah Faesal.The statement also expressed solidarity for “a democratic and peaceful means to ensure stability in the state of Jammu & Kashmir” and urged the Indian government to release Shah Faesal and other local leaders who are under arrest.Shah Faesal, who had been detained on August 14 at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, was taken to a makeshift detention centre at the Centaur Hotel in Srinagar on Thursday, August 15 under the Public Safety Act (PSA).The former bureaucrat from Jammu and Kashmir had floated the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement party after resigning from the Indian Administrative Service.In addition to Faesal, former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah were put under house arrest, a day a before the centre announced its decision to scrap J&K’s special status, on August 4, and continue to be under detention.Also read | ‘Everything Has Been Lost. Except Our Resolve to Fight Back’: Shah Faesal on KashmirThe Jammu and Kashmir authorities last week airlifted a fresh batch of 20 “potential troublemakers” from Srinagar to Agra as a precautionary measure in the wake of constitutional changes made by the government.The statement by members of Harvard university urged the Indian government “to take credible action keeping in mind the democratic rights of people during the process of bringing peace to the Valley”.The full statement has been reproduced below.§To the Government of India, 15 August 2019We, members of the student, faculty and alumni community of Harvard University, stand in solidarity for a democratic and peaceful means to ensure stability in the state of Jammu & Kashmir.We are concerned about the latest restrictions and arrests of many local leaders including a Harvard student and politician, Shah Faesal.We urge the Government to release Shah Faesal and other local leaders. We request the government to take credible action keeping in mind the democratic rights of people during the process of bringing peace to the Valley.Students, faculty, alumni and affiliates of the Harvard University,1. Rashmi P Gowda, MC/MPA 2019, Bangalore.2. Neha Bansal, MC/MPA 2019, New Delhi3. Tiffany Thompson, MC/MPA 2019, United States of America4. Isaias A Medina III, MC/MPA 2019, Venezuela5. Keldon Bester, MPP 2019, Canada6. Carlos Ortiz-Gomez, MC/MPA 2019, Mexico7. Camilla Taufic, MPP 2019, United States of America8. Erika Caballero Montoya, MPA/ID 2019, Mexico9. Sabrina Meharali, MC/MPA 2019, United States of America10. Grace Palmer, MPP 2019, United States of America11. Anne Thibault, MC/MPA 2019, France12. Nurlan Mustafayev, MC/MPA 2019, Azerbaijan13. Jamie Lockhart, MC/MPA 2019, United States of America14. Rachel Richardson, MC/MPA 2019, United States of America15. Andrea Szegedi, MC/MPA 2019, Hungary16. Ariel Dloomy, MC/MPA 2019, Israel17. Emilia Reyes, MC MPA 2019, México18. Zeenith Ebrahim, MC MPA 2019, South Africa19. Sanjana Rajgarhia, MPP 2020, India20. Mouna Mahassine, MC/MPA 2019, France21. Nizar El Fakih, MC/MPA 2019, Venezuela22. Roohi Abdullah, MC/MPA, USA23. Ricardo Batarce, MC/MPA 2019, Chile24. Margareta Matache, MC/MPA 2019, Romania25. Faran Sikandar, MPA/ID 2018, United States of America26. Ekram Ibrahim, MC/MPA 2018, United States of America27. Preeti Sahai, MC/MPA 2019, India28. Melvine Ouyo, MC/MPA 2019, Kenya29. Jackson Miller, MPP 2020, United States30. Glen Mpani MC/MPA 2018 Zimbabwe31. Juliana Vernaza MC/MPA 2019, Colombia32. Zain Ul Abideen Shahid MPA/ID 2018, Pakistan33. Timothy Patrick McCarthy PhD, Faculty, United States of America34. Jeremy Bhatia, MPP 2020, United States of America35. Pedro Armelin, MPP 2020, Brazil36. Jeff Rousset, MC/MPA 2018, United States of America37. Musa Ali, MC/MPA 2019, United States38. Suvi Seppalainen, MC/MPA 2019, Finland39. Salma Yasir, MC/MPA 201840. Youcif Almegaryaf, MC/MPA 2018, Libyan-America41. Sakina Haider, MPP 2020, United Kingdom42. Christian Zambaglione, MPA 2019, Argentina43. Diksha Bijlani, MPP 2020, India44. Shawon Jackson, MPP 2021, United States45. Dana Rassas, MCMPA 2018, Palestine46. Muhammad Safdari, MBA/MPP 2021, USA47. Sarah Koehler, Ed.M. 2019, United States of America48. Muhammad Ali, MC MPA, 2018, Pakistan49. Sara Thordsen, MC/MPA 2019, Denmark50. Tanya Kant, Ed.M. 2019, Indiia51. Candice Vianna, MC/MPA 2019, Brazil52. Aarya Shinde, Ed.M. 2019, India53. Hazem ElWassimy, MC/MPA 2018, Egypt54. Salil Shetty, Senior Research Fellow 2018-Present, India55. Alina Xu, MPA/ID 2019, United States of America56. Inayat Sabhikhi, MPA 2020, India57. Nfamara BALDE, MC/MPA 2018, Guinea58. Lucila Takjerad, MC/MPA 2019, Algeria-France59. Laura Oller, MPP/MBA 2019, Brazil60. M.R.Sharan, PhD 2020, India [strongly second Asad’s opinion below] 61. Dwijo Goswami, MPA/ID 2017, India62. Subhadra Banda, MPP 2016, India63. Niharika Singh, PhD HKS, Canada64. Asad Liaqat, PhD HKS65. Reine Rambert, MPP 2020, United States of America66. Tania Del Rio Solorzano , MPP 2016, USA67. Beau Suder, MC/MPA 2020, USA68. Ilusion Farias, MC,MPA 2019, Nicaragua69. Nayana RenuKumar, MPA 2016, India70. Michal Rubin, MC/MPA, United States of America71. Pradeepan Parthiban, Research Staff, Harvard Kennedy School, USA72. Costanza Sciubba Caniglia, MC/MPA and Research Staff, Harvard Kennedy School,Italy/USA73. Gwen Camp, MC/MPA, United States of America74. Lily Cheng, MC/MPA, USA75. Jenny Weissbourd, MPA, USA76. Betsy Cowan, MC/MPA 2018, USA77. Diana Goldemberg, MPAID 2017, Brazil78. Gabriel Costa, MPA 2019, Brazil79. Anushka Siddiqui, MPP 2019, India80. John Michael Schert, MC/MPA 2018, USA81. Georges Clement, MPP 2020, USA82. Prachi Naik, MPP 2020, USA83. Nada Siddiqui, MC/MPA 2020, USA84. Rafael Beleboni, MC/MPA 2019, Brazil85. Safwan Al-Amin, MC/MPA 2018, Iraq86. Phillip Pollman, MPP 2020 USA87. Ibrahim Al-Assil, MC/MPA 201988. Borja Gomez Rojo, MC/MPA 2018, Spain89. Doaa Sobeih, MC/MPA 2019, Egypt90. Camila Thorndike, MC/MPA 2020, United States (+1 to above comments on greaterspecificity of demands, not just protecting ‘one of our own’)91. Dimas Muhamad, MPP 2020, Indonesia92. Georgina Hernandez, MC/MPA 2019, Philippines93. Monica Nirmala, MPH 2020, Indonesia94. Zain Jarrar, MPA/ID 2018, Palestine95. Abdul Mohsen Al Husseini, MPA 2018, Jordan96. Gonzalo Leon, MC/MPA 2019, Chile97. Francisca Villalobos, MPA 2019, Chile98. Rami Farasin, MC/MPA 2020, USA99. Wael Wahby, MC/MPA 2018, Egypt.100. Kaveri Iychettira, Post-doctoral Fellow, India101. John Milbauer, MC/MPA 2020, United States102. Gerta Uruci-Limani, MC/MPA, Albania103. Henri Brebant, MPA 2020, France104. Sheri Meyerhoffer, MC/MPA 2018, Canada105. Victor C. Boyadjian, MC/MPA 2019, Brazil106. Anirban Gongopadhyay, MPA 2009107. Garima Jain, MPP/UP 2010, India108. Roshan Paul, MPP 2008109. Yash Kumbhat, College 2021, India110. Chandrika Bahadur, MPA/ID 2001111. Divya Varma, MPA 2014112. Kevin Leiby, MPA/ID 2018113. Yasmine Abdel Karim, MC/MPA2018114. Imran Khan, MPA/ID 2009, Pakistan115. Sofia Salas, MPP 2020116. Syeda masood MPAID/ID 2008, USA117. Anmol Mehra MC/MPA 2019118. Omar Mukhtar Khan MPA 2008119. Akbar Nasir Khan MPA 2011,Pakistan120. Tomohiro Hamakawa, MPP 2008, Japan121. Fatima Y . Bokhari, HLS 2015, Pakistan122. Afnan Karim Kundi, HLS 1995, Pakistan123. Shanza Noorhasan Khan, MPP 2008, Pakistan124. Apefa Ashiagbor, MC/MPA 2018, USA
