Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, will run for Chancellor of Oxford University while serving a 10-year jail sentence, as reported by The Telegraph UK.
Despite his imprisonment, Khan will participate in the online ballot for the position. Lord Patten’s resignation, after serving as Chancellor for 21 years, left the seat vacant.
Khan is currently in jail on allegations of inciting protests and violence against Pakistan’s military. He has denied these charges. He studied Economics and Politics at Keble College, Oxford, in 1972 and captained Oxford University’s cricket team. Khan also served as Chancellor of Bradford University from 2005 to 2014.
Khan’s advisor on international media, Syed Zulfi Bukhari, stated, “Imran Khan will contest for the chancellor of Oxford University as there is public demand.” Bukhari added, “We will announce it publicly once we get a go-ahead from Khan and start the signature campaign.”
Victory for Khan seems unlikely, as former Prime Ministers Sir Tony Blair and Boris Johnson are also candidates. Since his removal from power in 2022, Khan has faced over 150 legal cases, including charges of inciting violence.
On July 13, a Pakistani court overturned the conviction of Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, regarding the legality of their 2018 marriage. However, authorities quickly filed new cases to prevent his release. Recently, more than two dozen MPs called for Khan’s immediate release during a hearing in the House of Lords, discussing the erosion of democratic norms in Pakistan.
The PTI revealed that authorities warned Pakistani dissident Azhar Mashwani that his parents would be abducted if he attended the hearing. Since Khan’s imprisonment in August 2023, authorities have arrested hundreds of his supporters, and the government has indicated plans to ban his party, PTI.
BREAKING NEWS:
DHUNDOGE MULKON MULKON—–MILNE KE NAHIN NAYAB HAIN HUM. (A TRIBUTE TO IMRAN KHAN CONTESTING PRISED POST OF OXFORD UNIVERSITY CHANCELOR ELECTION FROM PAKISTAN PRISON)