Jailed Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan to vie for Oxford University chancellor's post

Jailed ex-prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan will be vying for the post of Oxford University’s chancellor come October.

Advisor to the former PM, Zulfikar Bukhari, confirmed that an application for Imran’s election had been submitted on the former’s instructions.

The news comes as the ex-premier’s predicaments back home take a new turn after a former spymaster alleged to be close to him has been arrested by the Pakistan Army and will be court-martialled.

Imran has been in Adiala jail, in Rawalpindi, since August 5, 2023, where he is facing various cases, which he claims are politically motivated.

The Oxford chancellor’s role is largely ceremonial and is voted for by graduates of the university who have had their degree conferred provided they have registered to vote and members of the university’s congregations including academic staff, the BBC reported.

Candidates cannot be current students, employees of the university, or candidates for political office, it added.

According to the university's website, the list of candidates for the 10-year term will not be made public until October. The elections will be held on October 28.

‘Win or loss not important’

Although the post is ceremonial, but one of prestige and importance. Senior Journalist Amir Zia believed “winning or losing is not important”. It will be a significant development even if the university allows Imran to contest this election, he said.

“This would highlight how a politician who has celebrity status worldwide is being treated in his own country by the present government,” Zia said. "It will be a message to the government," the journalist maintained.

The one-time cricket star is already an honorary fellow of Oxford’s Keble College, where he studied philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) in 1972, BBC stated. Imran also served as the chancellor of the University of Bradford from 2005 to 2014.

The former Pakistani premier is in the race to replace outgoing chancellor Christopher Patten. Eighty years old, Patten is the 159th chancellor and has held the position since 2003. He was the last Governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997 and chairman of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1992.