Imran Khan out of race for Oxford's Chancellor
The Hindu
Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan excluded from Oxford Chancellor race due to legal and political factors, UK officials confirm.
Oxford University has announced that former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is not included in the list of candidates to run for the position of the varsity's chancellor, Geo News reported.
"More than 40 people applied and only 38 were approved. The candidates were only excluded according to the exclusion criteria of the university. 26,000 people have registered to vote in this election. Khan has been disqualified to run in the election over several factors including his conviction and political role", the varsity officials told Geo News.
Also Read: Imran Khan’s crimes enough to keep him jailed: Pakistan Defence Minister
Prominent names in the list of people applying for the post of Chancellor included the UK's former Conservative Party leader Lord William Hague, UK's former Labour politician Lord Peter Mandelson, Elish Angiolini, Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Margaret Casely-Hayford and Dominic Grieve but only Mr. Khan has been disqualified from the top five well-known figures, Geo news noted.
The report further added that the King's Counsel at UK's leading law firm Matrix Chambers had opined that former Prime Minister Imran Khan is not eligible for Oxford Chancellorship according to the university's regulations.
The incoming Chancellor will be in post for a fixed term of no more than 10 years in accordance with the latest amendments enacted this year. These elections will also notably be the first ones to take place digitally. The University said, "In the first round of voting, voters will have the opportunity to rank as many candidates as they choose. The top five candidates will go on to a second round." Oxford further added, "To make this election accessible to our global community of colleagues and alumni, the election will be held online."
The statement said, "For the first time, an open application process was used to attract applicants from a wide range of backgrounds. The Chancellor's Election Committee has considered all applications solely on the specific exclusion criteria set out in the university regulations."
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