LPU terminates MoUs with Turkiye and Azerbaijan, citing security concerns

Lovely Professional University becomes the first private Indian university to sever academic ties with Turkiye and Azerbaijan for backing Pakistan during Operation Sindoor

After Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) decided to terminate their memorandum of understanding (MoU) with institutions affiliated to the Government of Turkiye, Punjab’s Lovely Professional University (LPU) has also decided to follow suit.

 

The Jalandhar-based private institution has decided to sever all MoUs with institutions in Turkiye and Azerbaijan.

 

The decision has been taken after both Turkiye and Azerbaijan extended their support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.

 

Notably, LPU is the first private university to terminate associations with institutions in Turkiye and Azerbaijan.

 

“When our brave armed forces are risking their lives – whether in covert operations, air defence, or patrolling our borders – we, as an institution, cannot remain indifferent. LPU’s mission has always been aligned with the growth and integrity of India, and we will never associate with any institution that undermines India’s sovereignty,” said LPU Founder Chancellor Ashok Kumar Mittal.

 

Mittal is also a Rajya Sabha MP from the Aam Aadmi Party.

 

The decision includes the immediate termination of student and faculty exchange programmes, joint research projects, dual degree initiatives, and all other forms of academic collaboration with institutions from the two countries.

 

Some of the other notable institutions that have terminated their agreements with the varsities of these two nations are Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), Hyderabad, and Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University (CSJMU), Kanpur.  Reports suggest that other prominent higher education institutions, such as the University of Delhi, are also reconsidering their international collaborations with Turkiye in light of its condemnation of the Indian armed forces and Operation Sindoor following the Pahalgam terror attack last month.    (With inputs from PTI)