Punjab University student wins BHC debate contest

Islamabad: Muhammad Ali from Punjab University on Wednesday won the British High Commission (BHC) Great Debate 2020-21 competition.

The final of the fifth annual Great Debate competition was held virtually on Wednesday.

The event witnessed a high intensity competition among 12 of the top debaters from across universities in Pakistan, who spoke for and against topics on trade, gender and UK-Pak Dosti. The chief guest at the event was acting British High Commissioner Iona Thomas.

After a competitive round of debates, Muhammad Ali from Punjab University and Mustafa Shaukat from Lahore University of Management Sciences were judged to be the winner and runner-up of the GREAT Debate 2020-21 competition.

The acting British high commissioner said the annual Great Debate competition gave the youth a platform to debate on themes which are important to Pakistan’s future and lie at the heart of the UK-Pakistan relationship.

Iona Thomas said the Great Debate competition held in 2020-2021 was the fifth annual edition of the competition that gives students from across Pakistan a platform to participate in debates, interact with other students from different universities and hone their skills in research, analytical thinking and public speaking.

The Great Debate is a debating competition for university students. There were six semi-finals – in six different cities (Islamabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi) involving students from over 50 leading universities across Pakistan – and the winner and runner-up of each semi-final competed in the final.