Indian students protested outside the Oxford Union in the United Kingdom on Thursday after the Union hosted a debate titled "This House Believes in an Independent State of Kashmir" and invited speakers allegedly linked to terrorist organisations.
A video of an Indian student objecting to the selection of speakers during the debate has gone viral on social media. In social media posts, a student named Adarsh Mishra highlighted that the JKLF is a terrorist organisation responsible for the killing of Kashmiri Pandits.
"It [JKLF] has massacred many Kashmiri Pandits, and it has killed Hindu government officials in Birmingham. I do not trust this house. I have launched a no-confidence motion against the president because I believe many members of this house have no faith in the president of the Oxford Union. He is nothing but a stooge of ISI. He is nothing but a stooge of Pakistan, and this house has no confidence in the president," the student can be heard saying."Indian student Adarsh Mishra stands up at the Oxford Union debate to expose terror organisation JKLF as mass murderer of Kashmiri Pandits and a Pakistani ISI stooge. Indian students protest, carry out signature campaigns. Great show of courage," wrote an user.
"Brave Indian student at Oxfor UnioOxfordinded the house of the barbarity demonstrated by JKLF members not only on Indian but on British soil too. Post this, large number of students came together to move a no confidence movement against the President of the Union," wrote another user.
Aadarsh Mishra's video has gone viral on social media, with many Indian users praising his bravery in exposing the terror organisation JKLF as a mass murderer of Kashmiri Pandits and a stooge for the Pakistani ISI.
According to an Instagram post by the Oxford Union, the panel supporting the motion included Muzzamil Ayyub Thakur, a Kashmiri leading the Justice Foundation and the Kashmir Freedom Movement, who opposed Indian control of Kashmir, and Professor Zafar Khan, chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Diplomatic Bureau.
The speakers against the motion were Prem Shankar Jha, former media advisor to a former prime minister of India, and Siddhant Nagrath.
The Oxford Union, shedding light on the debate topic, wrote, "The Kashmir question, a parting gift of British colonial rule, has troubled the subcontinent since 1947, resulting in multiple wars. The continued push for Kashmiri independence has sustained a long-standing struggle, rooted in the region’s quest for self-determination and autonomy. This has led to persistent unrest, human rights concerns, and renewed demands for autonomy among Kashmiris. While nuclear-armed neighbors vie for control and geopolitical influence, the desire for peace among the population remains strong. Could an independent Kashmir be the answer to this enduring crisis?"
INSIGHT UK, a British Hindu organisation, officially raised concerns about the debate.
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), they announced, “We have submitted a formal letter to the Oxford Union, expressing serious reservations regarding their decision to host this debate. The invitation of speakers allegedly linked to terrorism is especially troubling and casts doubts on the integrity of the discussion.”
