Imran Khan is vying to become chancellor of Oxford University.
The PTI founder and jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan, has submitted an application to take the coveted Oxford University chair in Britain, according to his party.
As prime minister from 2018 to 2022, Khan just celebrated one year in prison for a number of offences ranging from inciting violence to corruption, which he claimed were politically motivated and intended to keep him out of office.
According to Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, the London-based spokesman for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), “Imran Khan had given instructions that he would like to submit his application and now the application scrutiny will take place,” AFP was informed.
“It’s a ceremonial post but one with 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,” added Khan.
In February, Chris Patten, a Conservative peer and the final British governor of Hong Kong, announced his resignation as chancellor of Oxford.
According to the university website, the list of candidates for the ten-year term will not be made public until October. Voting will take place at the end of the month.
After pursuing studies in economics, politics, and philosophy at Oxford, Khan earned his degree in 1975.
Throughout his tenure as one of Pakistan’s best cricket players, he lived a playboy lifestyle and frequently appeared in British gossip magazines.
He was married three times, the last to British socialite and film director Jemima Goldsmith. He thereafter became involved in politics and philanthropy.
When he was prime minister, women’s rights organisations attacked him for associating Pakistan’s high incidence of sexual assault with women’s attire.
After being removed from office in 2022, Khan began a campaign of resurgence during which he attacked Pakistan’s formidable military, which had previously received support from its top generals, and he brought enormous crowds onto the country’s streets.
“He would be the first person of Asian heritage to hold the position of chancellor. It would be a significant accomplishment for all of Asia and the rest of the world, not just for Pakistan, Bukhari added.
British media sources state that former foreign secretary William Hague and former EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson are among the other well-known applicants and Oxford alumni.
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