pkformer pak pm imran khan to run for chancellor of oxford university from prison report
Pakistan former Prime Minister Imran Khan is set to apply for the Chancellor position at Oxford University despite serving a jail sentence behind bars for 10 years. The seat got vacant following the resignation of 80 year old Lord Patten after he stepped down after 21 years in the role.
The role of the Chancellor in Oxford University is described as ceremonial head, and a person who is typically an eminent public figure is elected for their whole lifetime. He / she presides over all major ceremonies. The election process for the new chancellor will be conducted for the first time followed by a convocation where 350000 students would participate.
The former Pak PM is currently imprisoned on charges of enticing protests and violence against the country’s military in May 2023, an allegation that he denies. In a statement, he has said, “I am being confined to a 7 ft by 8 ft death cell that is typically reserved for terrorists. People voted for me because they are fed up with the current system and how Pakistan is being run.”
Imran Khan has an educational background of Economics from Keble College, Oxford in 1972 and also captained the university’s cricket team. He debuted for the Pak Test Cricket Team in 197 and is the sole captain in Pak to have led the national team in ODIs to a world Cup victory in 1992.
Syed Zulfi Bukhari, Khan’s advisor on international media and close associate said, “we will announce the candidacy publicly once we get a go ahead from Khan and start the signature campaign for it.”