CT Newsroom/Monitoring Desk
Pakistan former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s election for chancellorship at Oxford University London has been supported by almost 200 Oxford University alumni, staff members and current students through the petition submitted with Oxford University Chancellor’s Selection Committee.
As per details, Oxford University administration confirmed a private media house on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 that Oxford University Chancellor’s Selection Committee had received a petition in the support of Imran Khan to run for the Oxford University’s chancellorship elections. The petition was submitted by almost 200 Oxford University alumni, staff members and current students.
The petition terms Imran khan fit for the chancellorship’s elections and says, “We, the undersigned members of the University of Oxford’s student and faculty community as well as its global alumni network, welcome Imran Khan’s candidacy for the esteemed position of Chancellor, a notable Global South alumnus whose accomplishments embody the values which Oxford University is revered for. Khan has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to public service, inspiring numerous Oxford students by virtue of his leadership.”
The petition recognized the endeavors of Imran Khan from being a cricketer, social worker, and educationalist and to a successful politician in Pakistan. The petition further said, “In spite of claims by certain political actors in the media, we are confident that Imran Khan’s candidacy aligns fully with the requirements outlined by the Election Committee as: Imran Khan is neither a student nor an employee of Oxford, nor is he currently serving in, or standing for, any elected legislature; he is not disqualified from being a charity trustee and continues to serve as the founding chairman of both Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Namal University; claims attempting to label Imran Khan as not ‘fit and proper’ on the basis of his imprisonment are misleading, as he is not sentenced or convicted in any case and is currently on remand, with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention having declared his incarceration illegal; and as a matter of principle, we ask you to ensure that all candidates who meet the eligibility criteria are provided the opportunity to participate in this election, which will uphold the integrity of the democratic process. The undersigned express confidence that the Election Committee will enable Imran Khan to present his vision to Oxford’s esteemed members of Convocation.”
Reportedly, the said petition is an organized media campaign in UK and at the international level led by Imran Khan’s adviser on international affairs Zulfi Bukhari. This campaign comes after the petition of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) UK Youth Coordination Chairman Khurram Butt who distributed the leaflets and pamphlets in the Oxford University against the candidacy of Imran Khan. According to Khurram Butt’s petition, Khan is unfit and must not be allowed to run in the Oxford University’s chancellor election.
It is worth mentioning here that Imran Khan formally applied for the chancellor’s election through Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) international affairs spokesman Zulfi Bukhari on August 19, 2024.
