Indian students in the UK protested outside the Oxford Union over a debate titled ‘This house believes in an independent Kashmir state’. The debate, hosted by Oxford University’s debating society Oxford Union, focused on the political status of Kashmir. Students protested the panelists on the grounds that some of them made incitement and hate speech.

Students protesting at Oxford University also claimed that some of the panelists had links to organizations investigated for links to terrorism. They also stated how the Kashmiri Hindu community was terrorized and had to flee Kashmir.

The Kashmir conflict is a regional conflict primarily between India and Pakistan and also between China and India.

“We have sent a formal letter to the Oxford Union expressing deep concern about their decision to host a debate titled ‘This House Believes in an Independent State of Kashmir’ on 14 November. The invitation of speakers with alleged links to terrorism is particularly concerning. British-Hindu group “and it raises serious questions about the integrity of this debate,” Insight UK said in a post about X.

Among the names chosen by the Oxford Union for the debate were Dr Muzzamil Ayyub Thakur, Raza Nazar and Professor Zafar Khan, who supported the proposal for an ‘independent Kashmir state’.

On the other side, dissenting speakers included Siddhant Nagrath, Yusuf Kundgol and Prem Shankar Jha.

President of the World Kashmir Freedom Movement, founded by his father with Mercy Universal, Dr. Muzzzamil Ayyub Thakur. According to the letter published on X by the British Hindu group Insight UK, the organization was investigated by Scotland Yard, the Charity Commission and the FBI for its links to terrorists.

Zafar Khan represents the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), a group linked to acts of violence that terrorized the Kashmiri Hindu community and forced them to flee their ancestral homes. The letter also alleged that the JKLF kidnapped and murdered Indian diplomat Ravindra Mhatre in the United Kingdom in 1984.

Opposing the motion were Yusuf Kundgol and Siddhant Nagrath, along with Prem Shankar Jha, who was former media advisor to former Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh and has extensive experience at the United Nations and the World Bank.

In response to the protest by Indian students, Oxford Union defended the controversy on its Instagram account.

“The Kashmir issue, a parting gift from the British colonial rule, has plagued the subcontinent since 1947, resulting in several wars. The ongoing push for Kashmir’s independence has continued a long-standing struggle rooted in the region’s quest for self-determination and autonomy ,” read the post.

The post was also a “response to the ongoing crisis” in Kashmir.

This has led to persistent unrest among Kashmiris, human rights concerns and renewed demands for autonomy. As nuclear-armed neighbors vie for control and geopolitical influence, the desire for peace remains strong among the population. The Oxford Union said an independent Kashmir could be the answer to this persistent crisis.