What’s behind jailed Imran Khan’s bewildering Oxford chancellor bid

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is doing more than just stare at jail walls. He has applied to be the Chancellor of Oxford University. In jail for a year now, Imran Khan’s surprise move to run for the elections for the Oxford top post could be a bid to attract global attention while his party holds rallies in Pakistan on the anniversary of his jailing. It could also be a signal to the powerful military of Pakistan that Imran is done with Pakistani politics and is interested in a third career, after cricket and politics.

Imran’s adviser Syed Zulfi Bukhari revealed that he submitted an application to run in the October election. He has applied at a time when elections and nominations for the position of the Chancellor have become online.

The former Pakistani Prime Minister will contest to replace Chris Patten, the former Conservative minister. Patten, the chancellor of Oxford University, announced he was stepping down from the post in February.

Imran’s journey in Pakistan’s politics started with his promise of “Naya Pakistan” or “new Pakistan”. He is now languishing in jail, facing several charges, which his supporters allege are part of a political conspiracy.

IMRAN KHAN: THE CHANCELLOR OF OXFORD UNIVERSITY?

“It’s a ceremonial post but one with the utmost prestige and importance and Imran Khan, being one of the larger or more popular names coming out of Oxford, it would be brilliant to see him as chancellor,” Bukhari told AFP.

The list will not be made public till October.

But an entry into the prestigious British university might also be a going away from Pakistan’s politics for Imran Khan.

Imran Khan had a playboy lifestyle during his cricket career, regularly becoming the subject of Britain’s gossip magazines.

He later turned to philanthropy and politics, serving as Pakistan’s Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022 as the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice). The party has now been banned.

He was removed as PM through an army-backed vote of no confidence in Pakistan’s parliament and has been in prison for the past one year.

Khan has alleged that this is part of a political scheme against him.

The Chancellor’s post won’t be something exceptional for him. Imran has also been the Chancellor of the University of Bradford for eight years, from 2005 to 2014.

If he does become the Chancellor, this time of Oxford, will he bid adieu to Pakistan’s politics? Or is this a signal to Pakistan’s powerful military, which he had taken on as the PM, that he is moving on?

CAN IMRAN KHAN MAKE IT IN THE UK?

Imran Khan is also a graduate of Oxford, where he studied politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford’s Keble College in the 1970s. He earned an honours degree for the university’s cricket team.

“If he does become the chancellor, he would be the first of Asian descent. It wouldn’t be something only for Pakistan, but it would be a great achievement for all of Asia and the rest of the world,” Bukhari added.

Voting will take place from October 28. But only Oxford graduates and members of the university can vote.

The chancellor appoints the vice-chancellor and deals with fundraising and advocacy.

As for his chances of winning, his competitors are: UK ex-PM Tony Blair and Boris Johnson. This is not going to be a cakewalk for Imran Khan. What would be interesting to watch is what happens if he wins. Will it be an easing out of the tumultuous politics of Pakistan, and will he just leave behind the people who still swear by him? Anything is possible in the subcontinent’s politics.