Concerns are growing in Pakistan after several of its students were reportedly affected by a wave of US visa cancellations linked to campus demonstrations against the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
According to reports, more than 400 international students enrolled at major American universities have had their student visas revoked in recent weeks, with no formal charges or explanations provided.
Many of these students, including some from Pakistan and other Muslim-majority countries, were allegedly involved in protests against Israel.
Top universities such as Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, and the University of Michigan are believed to be among those where affected students were enrolled.
The abrupt visa cancellations are being linked to a campaign by pro-Israel advocacy groups in the US, particularly Betar USA, which reportedly began surveilling student demonstrations after Israel launched a brutal military offensive on Gaza in October 2023, killing thousands of Palestinians and displacing many more.
The group, which openly identifies as Zionist, is said to have compiled dossiers on international students and faculty participating in pro-Palestinian activism and forwarded them to federal authorities.
Critics have condemned these actions as politically motivated and targeting Muslim students under the guise of national security.
Sources claim that this intelligence has been used to trigger visa cancellations, detentions, and even deportation proceedings—raising serious concerns about freedom of expression and racial profiling.
So far, neither the US Department of Homeland Security nor the State Department has provided any official explanation or clarified the legal grounds behind the sudden cancellation of these student visas.
International students cannot be seen in Pakistan protesting anywhere. So Pakistani students should do the same while visiting foreign countries. You are there to study. Complete your studies and then protest later