How is the Oxford Chancellor elected and Why is this election important for Imran Khan?

Umar Afridi and Azam Khan

Position, BBC Urdu

August 20, 2024

                        Imran Khan is one of the five Pakistanis on Oxford University's list of scholars

The appointment of the successful candidate to the post will be for 10 years, but it is a 'ceremonial' i.e. honorary post, i.e. there is no salary and benefits, but the chancellor does not have any administrative responsibility.

However, the Chancellor's role is important in appointing the Vice Chancellor of the University, presiding over important events, fundraising and representing the University at local, national and international levels. He is in a way the ambassador of the university.

Importantly, it is not necessary for the Oxford Chancellor to live in the UK, but he must attend all important events for which travel expenses are paid by the university.

For the election of the new Chancellor, the University Council constitutes the 'Chancellor Election Committee' whose function is to conduct and monitor the election process as per the rules and regulations and does not try to influence the process in any way.

Imran Khan's participation in the contest was made possible after a recent amendment to the voting system whereby the university's graduate students and current and former staff members will now be able to cast their votes online. This constituency is called 'Convocation'. Earlier it was mandatory for candidates and voters to attend the convocation in person.

According to the university, now more than two and a half lakh eligible voters from all over the world will be able to participate in the election of the chancellor. The final list of shortlisted candidates will be published in October, and the voting process will begin on October 28.

In case of less than 10 candidates there will be only one round of selection. In case the number of candidates is more, the second round of the election process will start on November 18.

Importantly, current students, university employees or candidates for any political office cannot participate in this election. It should be noted that Chancellor Christopher Francis Peyton, who was appointed to this post since 2003, resigned on July 31. The 80-year-old Lord Patten was the last governor of Hong Kong and was previously the chairman of the British Conservative Party.

                            Chancellor Christopher Francis Patten has held the post since 2003

Famous Pakistani students of Oxford

Imran Khan entered Oxford University's Keble College in 1972 and graduated in Political Science, Philosophy and Economics in 1975. During this time, he won many honors for the university in the field of cricket. During this time, Benazir Bhutto was also studying in Oxford and according to Imran Khan, they were also friends.

71-year-old Imran Khan is one of the five personalities from Pakistan who have been proudly mentioned by the oldest and internationally renowned Oxford University in the UK in its list of 'Famous Oxonians'.

The other four figures are Pakistan's first Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan, former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, his daughter and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and former President Farooq Ahmad Laghari.

The list includes the names of famous personalities who have graduated or taught here, and have gone down in history forever by achieving international fame in one or the other field.

Among them are 28 British Prime Ministers, at least 30 international leaders, 55 Nobel laureates and 120 Olympic medal winners.

Imran Khan was the Chancellor of the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom from December 2005 to November 2014.

During his eight-year chancellorship, he laid the foundation stone for the new Institute of Cancer Therapeutics at the university, according to the university's website. Since then there have been close links between this institute and Imran Khan's Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital and Research Centre.

When Imran Khan stepped down from the post, the university's vice-chancellor at the time, Professor Brian Canter, praised his service, saying: "He has been a distinguished ambassador for the university and a great role model for our students."

Oxford University holds the distinction of being the oldest university in the United Kingdom

Why is this election important for Imran Khan?

Imran Khan's supporters believe that his previous experience, long association with the University of Oxford, public welfare work at the national and international level and fame in the world of cricket make him a strong candidate for the chancellorship.

Professor Dr Muhammad Waseem, author of the book 'Political Conflict in Pakistan', told the BBC that the Oxford Chancellorship is considered an honorary position given to people who are very famous. . According to him, Imran Khan has also been the chancellor of a British university.

According to Dr. Waseem, attempts have been made for this position two or three times before for Imran Khan. In these circumstances, if Imran Khan gets the chancellorship of a university like Oxford, then it will create a lot of sympathy for him.

In response to a question, he said that if Imran Khan is elected, then any government to stop him will be considered an anti-state move. According to Dr Wasim, it will also be a good opportunity for Imran Khan to leave the country with dignity.

In the opinion of Shamshad Ahmed Khan, the former foreign secretary of Pakistan, "if the Pakistani authorities try to block Imran Khan's path even after he is elected and do not let him go out, then diplomatic complications may arise."

However, Dr Wasim does not agree with this opinion. According to him, "Pakistan and Great Britain will never allow each other's internal affairs to affect diplomatic relations."

According to him, resolutions related to the release of Imran Khan were also passed in the United States and Britain, but these things did not affect the diplomatic relations. However, Dr. Waseem agrees that Imran Khan has a good reputation in the United Kingdom And he is definitely being considered as an important candidate for the race for this position.

Former Pakistani ambassador Abdul Basit told the BBC that 'If Imran Khan becomes the chancellor of Oxford, it will not be easy for him to continue working in this role because he is currently in jail and facing several cases.'

Regarding diplomatic relations, he said that 'Britain does not allow interference in state or diplomatic relations because of a political leader, but it is another thing to come forward in favor of Imran Khan to the extent of civil society or the people.' "The governments of Western countries, including the United States and Great Britain, have not paid much attention to the arrest of Imran Khan and his cases."

In his opinion, 'Imran Khan's main goal seems to be that he wants to do political scoring in this way and wants to make everyone believe that he is popular even while in prison, that one of the best universities in the world has accepted him. has chosen his chancellor.'

However, according to him, 'It remains to be seen whether the rules and regulations of Oxford allow a convicted person to become its chancellor, regardless of whether the conviction was justified or not. '

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