LONDON: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party leader Imran Khan is set to apply for the post of chancellor of Oxford University despite currently serving a 10-year jail sentence.
Sayed Zulfi Bukhari, Imran's adviser on international affairs, said Geo news The Oxford University post has fallen vacant following the resignation of 80-year-old Lord Patten, who stepped down after 21 years in the role, and Imran is set to stand for the post. Former prime ministers Sir Tony Blair and Boris Johnson are also among those in the running to become chancellor of the university.
Khan studied Economics and Politics at Keble College, Oxford in 1972 and also captained the university's cricket team. He made his debut for the Pakistan cricket team in 1971 and served as Chancellor of the University of Bradford from 2005 to 2014.
Bukhari mentioned the public demand for Imran's participation. “We will announce it publicly once we get Khan's nod and start the signature campaign. He is the most suitable person at this point of time for this post and we hope he will win the contest,” Bukhari said.
The University of Oxford describes the role of the chancellor as a ceremonial head, usually an eminent public figure elected for life, who presides over all major ceremonies. The process of electing the new chancellor will be conducted online for the first time, allowing all 350,000 members of the university's convocation to participate.
The PTI founder is currently in prison on charges of inciting protests and violence against the military in May last year, allegations he denies. In a recent interview from jail, he said: “I am confined in a 7-foot by 8-foot execution cell, normally reserved for terrorists. People voted for me because they are fed up with the current system and how Pakistan is run.”
This will be the first time that rector elections will be held online, rather than the traditional process that requires graduates to attend in full academic uniform. The post is usually reserved for university graduates, often politicians.
Khan faces competition from former prime ministers Sir Tony Blair and Boris Johnson, making for a tough contest, but Bukhari said he was hopeful the PTI founder would win. “We are waiting for Khan's nod and the campaign will begin,” he said.
Since Khan's imprisonment in August 2023, the UN has described his detention as lacking legal basis, with hundreds of his supporters arrested and the government indicating its intention to ban the PTI.
News of his candidacy was shared by Bukhari and Lord Hannan at an event this week in the House of Lords, where nearly two dozen members of the UK Parliament called for his immediate release.
The demand for his release was made during a recent hearing in the House of Lords Committee Room on the erosion of democratic norms in Pakistan and the “unlawful imprisonment” of the former prime minister.
The hearing was co-chaired by Labour MP for Bradford West Naz Shah and Conservative Lord Hannan of Kingsclere. Bukhari and PTI leader Meher Bano Qureshi were guest speakers, as was Sarwar Bari, founder of Pattan Development.
The hearing was attended by over 22 MPs from across the main parties, including former Conservative Party Leader and Cabinet Minister Sir Iain Duncan Smith, former Home Secretary Priti Patel, former Security Minister Baroness Neville-Jones, former Minister of State at the Foreign Office Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon and former Conservative Party Chair and Foreign Office Minister Baroness Warsi.
Also present were newly elected independent MPs Shockat Adam, Barrister Ayoub Khan, Iqbal Mohammad and Labour MP Naushabah Khan. PTI UK leader Jahanzeb Khan was also present, as were four other officials.
