LONDON: Incarcerated former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan will run for the position of chancellor of Oxford University from Adiala Jail, British newspaper The Telegraph has quoted Khan’s advisor on international media, Syed Zulfi Bukhari, as saying.
Imran, himself an Oxford graduate, is currently in Adiala Jail in a fresh Toshakhana case that was lodged in the immediate aftermath of his and his wife Bushra Bibi’s acquittal in the Iddat case, which was the last of a number of faces he had fought and cleared over the last year before being nominated in new cases.
He was also nominated in a dozen new May 9 cases, although the Lahore High Court ended up giving him relief today by setting aside his physical remand in all the cases.
Despite there being no end in sight to his legal troubles and his immediate future set to be behind bars due to the state’s never-ending supply of cases against him, Imran has decided to throw his name in the hat for one of the most prestigious administrative positions in British academia.
“Imran Khan will contest for the chancellor of Oxford University as there is a public demand that he should contest,” adviser to PTI Chairman Imran Khan on international media Syed Zulfi Bukhari told The Telegraph.
“We will announce it publicly once we get a go-ahead from Khan and start the signature campaign for it,” he added.
The seat of chancellor of Oxford University is vacant following the resignation of 80-year-old Lord Patten, the former governor of Hong Kong and Tory Party chairman, who held the post for 21 years, The Telegraph said in its report.
It said that this would be the first time the elections for the chancellor will be held online compared to the traditional process in which the graduates were required to attend the process in full academic dress.
Imran obtained a degree in Economics from Keble College in Oxford University.
The Telegraph said that before he decided to run as a chancellor for Oxford, Imran had served as the chancellor of Bradford University from 2005 till 2014.
The newspaper downplayed Imran’s chances of winning given that many high ranking personnel — such as former UK prime ministers Sir Tony Blair and Boris Johnson — are in the running.
