LONDON: High-profile Indian speakers withdrew at the last minute from a much-anticipated Oxford Union debate on Thursday after fearing an imminent defeat from the Pakistani side, organisers and participants said. The Indian speakers’ decision has triggered criticism on campus.
The Oxford Union had scheduled a parliamentary-style debate on the motion “This House Believes That India’s Policy Towards Pakistan Is a Populist Strategy Sold as Security Policy”.
The high-profile debate was organised jointly by the Oxford Union and the Pakistan High Commission in London. The event had been in the planning for months, with initial invitations sent in June 2025.
A letter dated 5 November 2025 confirmed the line-up. Former Pakistani foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, former Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, and Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK, Dr Mohammad Faisal, were to represent Pakistan.
Similarly, Sachin Pilot, Subramaniam Swamy and former Indian army chief General M. N. Navarane were named for the Indian side.
All three Indian speakers pulled out on the morning of the debate, organisers said, causing much embarrassment to the Oxford Union. The withdrawals were sudden and unexplained, organisers said. The Indian delegates did not provide an immediate reason for the no-shows, organisers added.
No explanation for last-minute no-show
Pakistani speakers had already reached London and were due to travel to Oxford that evening.
While the Indian speakers have not offered any explanation for this last-minute no-show, it appears that they preferred handing the Pakistan side a walk-over instead of facing an ignominious defeat at one of the world’s premier debating forums, Pakistan’s High Commission stated.
It is worth pointing out that Indian members of the Union outnumber Pakistani students by a fair margin.
The Indian side’s cowardly refusal to turn up in a debate, which was to be decided by a vote of the students in attendance, underlines their lack of confidence in defending Indian policies, even in front of what would have been a friendly audience.
India’s tame surrender at Oxford Union continues the run of defeats that began in May 2025. Churchill famously said that “jaw-jaw is better than war-war.” It appears that India is not up for either.
The debate had attracted attention because of the high profile of the planned speakers and the sensitive subject matter.
India-Pakistan relations have been marked by political friction and the May conflict when Pakistan downed seven Indian fighter jets, including Rafale, during the aerial combat.
