A high-profile debate at the Oxford Union that was scheduled to feature senior figures from Pakistan and India was canceled after the Indian delegation pulled out at the last minute, prompting strong reactions from Pakistan’s High Commission in London and raising speculation over why India pulled out at the last minute.
According to statements by the High Commissioner, the debate centered on the motion “This House believes that India’s policy towards Pakistan is a populist strategy sold as security policy” had been confirmed weeks in advance. It is scheduled for 12:30 am PKT.
Pakistan’s delegation, comprising former Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman Lieutenant General (R) Zubair Mahmood Hayat, former Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and former diplomat Dr Mohammad Faisal, was already in London for the event.
The High Commission claimed that India’s originally announced speakers, General MM Naravane, Dr Subramanian Swamy and politician Sachin Pilot, “withdrew at the last minute”, leaving the event without its opposite panel.
He further alleged that India subsequently proposed “obscure and low-profile replacements” that did not match the level of the Pakistani delegation and “undermined the credibility and balance of the debate.”
“The collective withdrawal of the Indian delegation represented an indisputable victory for Pakistan,” the High Commissioner said, adding that India’s withdrawal “exposed the weakness of its narrative on a neutral academic platform.”
Sources familiar with the matter said Sunrise that the last-minute change was “very strange,” noting that these debates usually ended well in advance and that delegations usually accepted knowing who they were debating with.
While the High Commission criticized what it described as India’s reluctance to face open questioning, many on social media questioned the motive behind India’s withdrawal, speculating that it may have been pressure from the Indian government on the panelists.
