New Delhi: American far-Right activist and staunch supporter of US President Donald Trump, Laura Loomer, sparked debate during her appearance at the India Today Conclave 2026 on Saturday for sharply criticising Pakistan and apologising for some of her past anti-India social media posts.
Speaking at the conclave in New Delhi, Loomer warned the US against strengthening ties with Pakistan, alleging that the country was linked to global terrorism.
“Pakistan’s biggest export to the world is Islamic terrorism, and I don’t believe the US should be cosying up to the Pakistani government at all,” she said.
Loomer further accused Pakistan of supporting extremist networks and claimed that several global terror incidents had links to the country.
“Pakistan operates as an openly jihadist and pro-Sharia state, and when you look at many of the Islamist terror attacks around the world, there is often some connection back to Pakistan,” she added.
Referring to a recent case in the US, Loomer cited the conviction of a Pakistani national, Asif Merchant, who was accused of plotting to assassinate President Trump and other senior American politicians.
According to investigators, Merchant allegedly attempted to recruit individuals in the US to target President Trump, reportedly in retaliation for the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020.
“The incident makes one thing clear. All of the terrorism, for the most part, is largely coming from Pakistan,” Loomer said.
During the same event, Loomer also addressed criticism over several past posts she made on the social media platform ‘X’ that contained offensive and derogatory remarks about Indians. The posts resurfaced online after she arrived in India for the conclave, triggering widespread backlash.
When questioned about the controversy, Loomer acknowledged that some of her comments were inappropriate.
“I should not have said some of the things I wrote in the other tweets,” she admitted.
However, she made it clear that she stood by her criticism of the H-1B visa programme in the United States. “I am not going to apologise for opposing the H-1B visa programme, because my job is to stand up for American interests. Our immigration and labour laws have been exploited and abused. I will continue to fight for American workers who are struggling to find employment,” she said.
(IANS)
