Srinagar: Three Kashmir-based universities have terminated their agreements with a US-based non-governmental organisation after intelligence agencies flagged its activities.
Kashmir Care Foundation (KCF), which is headquartered in Atlanta, United States, and registered as a not-for-profit, non-religious and apolitical organisation, had signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Kashmir University (KU), Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) and Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Kashmir (SKUAST) in 2025, a year after the NGO was founded.
All three universities, in separate official correspondence, have conveyed to KCF about the cancellation of their agreements, ETV Bharat has learnt. At Kashmir University, the joint agreement signed in December 2025 between the two entities was meant for furthering educational initiatives through workshops, seminars and other academic engagements in STEM, humanities and related fields.
However, the letter of cancellation sent by the varsity to the president of the foundation says continuation of the MoU is “not in the larger institutional interest” of the University.
Likewise, the Islamic University of Science and Technology has invoked ‘Force Majeure’ clause of the agreement to terminate the MoU for the collaborative initiatives.
“It is further confirmed that no financial, contractual, or other liabilities have accrued to either party under the said MoU. This communication may be treated as formal notice of termination of the Memorandum of Understanding,” reads the official correspondence by IUST accessed by ETV Bharat.
The SKUAST has also written a formal communication to the KCF about the cancellation of the agreement signed in April 2025. Officially, the universities cancelled the agreement after review from the “competent authority” found it not in the interest of the educational institution.
However, it was learnt that the cancellation was triggered after intelligence agencies flagged certain individuals who are part of the KCF. “Authorities suspect that these platforms are being used as soft channels to disseminate a specific ideological agenda. The involvement of US-based actors has further intensified scrutiny with fears of coordinated influence efforts across borders,” sources said.
