Indian students under INSIGHT UK, organisations for Indians and Hindus in Britain, staged a demonstration outside the Oxford Union on Thursday.
Oxfors Union has been under fire for one of its debate titled “this House believes in the independent state of Kashmir.”
Protestors chanted “It is known far and wide, Oxford Union stands on terrorists’ side.” They also held banners, expressing their extreme disapproval of the event’s contentious speaker selection.
#BREAKING: Indian students joined by people from Jammu & Kashmir🇮🇳 protest outside the Oxford Union in UK against the Pakistan ISI funded debate on Kashmir where terrorist associates have been invited to speak on India’s Kashmir. (I had withdrawn from the same debate last month) pic.twitter.com/jJsVnrYktY
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) November 14, 2024
Protestors also chanted Hindi slogan like “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram.”
‼️BREAKING‼️
Indian students protest infront
of the Oxford Union.
Cries of “It is known far and wide, Oxford Union stands on terrorists side”.#OxfordUnion pic.twitter.com/N1oeIvrHLn— INSIGHT UK (@INSIGHTUK2) November 14, 2024
On social media, INSIGHT UK posted, “Jammu Kashmir WAS India, Jammu Kashmir IS India, Jammu Kashmir WILL BE India.”
Allegations of Debate speaker’s Terrorism Ties
INSIGHT UK has formally questioned the Oxford Union’s decision to host a debate supporting an independent Kashmir, citing concerns over two invited speakers, Muzzammil Ayyub Thakur and Zafar Khan.
The group argues that speakers invited for this debate had ties to terrorism and extremist groups. They specially highlighted the accusations of hate speech and incitement against one of the speaker Muzzammil Ayyub Thakur, questioning the integrity of the debate.
The group alleged that Thakur’s organizations, “World Kashmir Freedom Movement” and “Mercy Universal,” have been investigated by authorities like Scotland Yard and the FBI for suspected terrorism links.
Meanwhile, Zafar Khan, as chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), is connected to a group accused of violence against Kashmiri Hindus and linked to the 1984 kidnapping and murder of Indian diplomat Ravindra Mhatre in the UK.
Oxford University’s Debate In Question
Our debate for tonight:
This House Believes in an Independent State of Kashmir.Speakers for proposition:
1. Raza Nazar
2.Professor Zafar Khan
3.Dr.Muzzammil Ayub ThakurSpeakers for opposition:
1. Siddhant Nagrath
2. Yusuf Kundgol
3. Prem Shankar Jha pic.twitter.com/DY7zOQbPsd— Oxford Union (@OxfordUnion) November 14, 2024
Speakers on the panel for the motion were Professor Zafar Khan, the leader of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Diplomatic Bureau, and Dr. Muzzamil Ayyub Thakur, a Kashmiri who led the Justice Foundation and the Kashmir Freedom Movement and opposed Indian rule over Kashmir.
While, Yusuf Kundgol, Siddhant Nagrath, and Prem Shankar Jha, a former media advisor to former Prime Minister V P Jha who has worked at the World Bank, the Hindustan Times, and the United Nations, spoke against the resolution.
