Oxford University officially disqualified former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan from the highly-held university chancellor position. This decision came after a review process by the university indicated certain regulations that disqualified him from taking part in the election.
This roughly selected over 38 candidates out of more than 40 applicants. Imran Khan’s name was missing from the approved list, as the university strictly applied its exclusion criteria to evaluate the eligibility of candidates. The criteria depend on both the personal and professional record of the candidate and legal issues relating to his candidacy.
Geo News reported that the King’s Counsel Hugh Southey, of Matrix Chambers in London, provided legal advice that said Imran Khan was extremely unlikely to have passed university standards because of his criminal conviction and political activity.
Southey said Oxford University has rules requiring high ethical standards. This means candidates are disqualified if they have certain legal issues disqualifying people from holding such posts.
Many influential candidates came in to contest for the Oxford University chancellorship. The notable names are as follows:
- Lord William Hague
- Lady Elish Angiolini
- Lord Peter Mandelson
- Dr. Margaret Casely-Hayford
- Rt Hon Dominic Grieve
The process will involve online voting where the voting will begin on October 28. In the first round, it is ranked in such a manner that it reduces to five people who will then vote in November in the final round.
The Beltway Grid Policy Advocacy Group first sought to examine the matter by addressing the queries raised by King’s Counsel Hugh Southey, who rendered an opinion that the candidacy of Khan would run against the ethical norms practiced at the university. Regulation 7(d) of the Council Regulations of Oxford and Section 178 of the Charities Act 2011, respectively, define people in positions of authority as those of high integrity and transparency. The group questioned if a history of litigation and political activism was what would define Khan’s supposed history.
Southey’s view concluded that Khan’s political influence in Pakistan’s politics and his criminal offense present strong drawbacks in passing through Oxford’s selection criteria. The Chancellor position tends to hold more to the international interests of the university, and an active influence in national politics will be compromised by a candidate.
Oxford Alumni Community in Pakistan reacted to this controversy over the disqualification of the candidature of Khan. In a statement, they clarified that no member of the alumni will support any candidate against or in favor of someone during the election. Alumni members testified that they were sure the election would be free and fair because the university would carry out the process in the correct way.
The statement further cited that alumni cherish Oxford as an institution dedicated to the excellence of intellectual rigor and diversity and believe that the selection of the Chancellor will be consistent with that principle.
International adviser to Imran Khan, Zulfi Bukhari expressed his disappointment with the decision to bar Khan from the Chancellor election. On social media, Bukhari termed the decision of the university “extremely unfortunate,” revealing that it had thought of taking legal action against the disqualification. He added that they had consulted multiple legal experts before applying Khan and will seek further explanation from the university.
Bukhari points out that although disqualified, the campaign ended up being tremendous global attention to the name of Khan, and pointed out his continuous influence in international affairs. He therefore said that the efforts to nominate Khan have brought focus to the broader issues he faces in Pakistan although it did not lead to his inclusion in the election.
The winner for the position of chancellor at Oxford University is expected to be announced by the end of November. University officials thus stress a careful approach in this election so that the chosen person shall embody attributes fitting to university values: academic excellence, ethical leadership, and global representation.
As Oxford navigates the complexities of this expensive election, the ouster of Imran Khan reminds everyone that legal and moral arguments will now play a very key role in the selection process. The latter will also lead to a debate over the standards of the university, which must be looked after without losing its pre-eminent status as the world’s best educational institution.
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