Punjab University student wins BHC debates

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. "This is the fifth edition of the GREAT Debate, and like previous times, we’ve included debaters from across Pakistan. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the finale of our competition was held virtually - but this did not hamper the passion and determination of our debaters, who I am sure will all go on to play a vital part in the future success of this country.” 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.