ISLAMABAD: Pakistan High Commission in London said Thursday that an Indian delegation abruptly withdrew from a scheduled Oxford Union debate, leaving Pakistan to claim an uncontested walkover in what was billed as a rare public exchange on South Asian security policy.
The debate, set for November 27 in the Union’s historic chamber, was to follow a parliamentary format on the motion: “This House Believes That India’s Policy Towards Pakistan Is a Populist Strategy Sold as Security Policy.”
According to the High Commission’s statement, “both sides had confirmed participation months earlier,” with formal invitations issued in June.
Pakistan’s three-member delegation, Gen. (Ret.) Zubair Mahmood Hayat, former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, and High Commissioner to the UK Dr. Mohammad Faisal, had already arrived in London and was preparing to travel to Oxford for the event.
The High Commission said India had likewise confirmed a high-profile trio: former army chief Gen. M. M. Naravane, former law minister and academic Dr. Subramanian Swamy, and former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot.
But on Thursday morning, organizers were informed that “all three Indian speakers had withdrawn without offering any substantive explanation.”
The statement said Oxford Union officials were “embarrassed” by the sudden exit, noting it deprived students of a “rare, structured exchange on a major South Asian security issue.”
Calling the decision “particularly noteworthy,” the High Commission emphasized that Indian students account for a far larger share of Union membership than Pakistani students. Even in what it described as a “friendly environment,” the statement said, India “declined to defend its position before a vote.”
According to the High Commission, the withdrawals reflected “a lack of confidence” in publicly defending India’s policy toward Pakistan. It argued that while Indian officials often make forceful claims through partisan media, their representatives “avoided testing those claims in an open, rules-based setting.”
Pakistan, the statement added, “remained prepared to argue with facts, international law, and regional stability considerations.” It thanked the Oxford Union for its efforts and said it remained ready for “any future forum promoting serious and respectful dialogue on South Asian peace and security.”
It said Pakistan had expected “a civilized, reasoned discussion,” but India’s last-minute pullout “made that impossible.”
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