UK: Oxford University blocks Imran Khan from running for chancellor
Imran Khan, formerly Pakistan’s prime minister, has been blocked from standing to be chancellor of Oxford University.
The politician and former Oxford student applied to stand for the vaunted position from his jail cell in Pakistan, where he is serving a 10-year sentence after being convicted of leaking state secrets.
A recent UN report concluded that his detention is arbitrary and in contravention of international law.
Authorities in Pakistan have been accused of stopping all visits to Khan by his family and lawyers, as well as turning off lights and electricity in his cell.
On Wednesday morning, Oxford University announced the 38 candidates approved to run for the role of chancellor, which has been held over the centuries by figures such as Oliver Cromwell and former British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.
The new chancellor will be elected later this year in an online ballot by a convocation of Oxford members and graduates of the university - over 250,000 people.
Imran Khan was not on the list of approved candidates.
Of the current candidates, the two frontrunners are stalwarts of British politics: one is Peter Mandelson, who was a key adviser to Tony Blair, a former prime minister who Khan once blamed for “the deaths of thousands of Iraqis”.
'Oxford has missed a trick to be a serious global trend setter'
- Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari, aide to Imran Khan
The other is William Hague, who was foreign secretary under Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron.
Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari, who was Khan’s special assistant in government and is now his aide, told Middle East Eye that the decision to exclude the former prime minister was "extremely disappointing".
"I believe Oxford has missed a trick to be a serious global trendsetter. There are no legal reasons for not letting Imran Khan run.
"Our lawyers have asked for the reasons from Oxford. Imran Khan would have been great for the university."
He added that "on behalf of Imran Khan, I wish all candidates the best of luck".
One approved candidate, Matthew Firth, described himself in his candidate statement published by the university as "your anti-woke candidate", and warned that he would "rebuke" the university should it "walk the way of wokery".
Another candidate, Tanya Tajik, wrote in her statement: "I even teach Zumba. Zumba is something that not only keeps your body active but your mind as well. This will again help me manage responsibilities of a Chancellor."
Meanwhile, candidate Lyn Michelle Heiming wrote: "The request is, that I should explain why I am a suitable candidate. I shall reverse this and try to understand what would make me an unsuitable candidate. By what criteria would I be excluded?"
Yet another candidate, Henry Stratton, wrote "I haven’t invaded any Middle Eastern countries", in an apparent reference to Mandelson's role during the Blair government.
While it has not been publicly confirmed why Khan was blocked from running, King's Counsel Hugh Southey at the Matrix Chambers in London said earlier this week: "Mr Khan is unlikely to be eligible to be a candidate in light of one of his criminal convictions."
Oxford University's council regulations include requirements for honesty and transparency for trustees.
Meanwhile, according to the Beltway Grid Policy Centre, Khan "has clear and public intentions to contest for and take the office of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, should the opportunity present itself.
"The role of Oxford’s chancellor requires an individual who can represent the university’s global interests, uphold its values and not clearly be intent on taking political office during their chancellorship."
Bukhari told MEE: "The UK government and all others should collectively help ensure justice and rule of law. Let it be Gaza or Pakistan.
"It's obvious the government and establishment are on their last legs of atrocities against Imran Khan and PTI [Khan's party]."
Conservative peer Lord Daniel Hannan said on Tuesday, before Oxford's list of candidates was published, that the latest crackdown on Khan "is a response to his campaign to be chancellor of Oxford University.
"If you have a vote, please cast it in favour of human rights and the rule of law. Vote him in to get him out."
The peer, who studied at Oxford and is eligible to vote in the upcoming election, previously told MEE that Khan is a "towering figure in the worlds of philanthropy, sport and politics" and would make a "superb chancellor for the world’s foremost university".
Khan has been blocked from standing for election in Pakistan, although he is widely accepted to be the country’s most popular politician.