Former Pakistani Prime Minister and cricket legend Imran Khan plans to run for Chancellor of Oxford University, despite currently serving a 10-year jail sentence in Pakistan. His team confirmed to The Telegraph that Khan will participate in the online ballot for the position.
The Chancellor position became vacant after Lord Patten, the former governor of Hong Kong and Tory Party chairman, resigned following a 21-year tenure. This year, the election process will be conducted entirely online, departing from the traditional in-person voting by graduates in full academic dress.
Khan, who studied Economics and Politics at Keble College, Oxford in 1972, is currently in jail on charges of inciting protests and violence against the Pakistani military, which he denies.
“Imran Khan will contest for the chancellor of Oxford University as there is a public demand that he should contest,” said Zulfi Bukhari to The Telegraph.
“We will announce it publicly once we get a go-ahead from Khan and start the signature campaign for it,” Bukhari said.
Khan’s chances of winning appear slim, with his candidacy facing stiff competition from other prominent figures, including former British Prime Ministers Sir Tony Blair and Boris Johnson.
