OXFORD,Oct 16/TT/ — Imran Khan has been blocked from running as Oxford University chancellor, despite a Zumba enthusiast, an “anti-woke” vicar and an Amazon warehouse worker all being deemed eligible candidates.
Mr Khan is now understood to be considering legal action against the university, after it failed to give him a reason for his disqualification.
Oxford University published its list of 38 official candidates vying to replace Lord Patten on Wednesday, as the current chancellor prepares to step down this month after 21 years in the role.
However, the list of those deemed eligible to enter the race does not include Mr Khan, despite the former Pakistani prime minister submitting a formal application.
Lawyers acting on behalf of the jailed politician have written to Oxford University demanding an explanation for his elimination from the race, The Telegraph has been told.
Zulfi Bukhari, Mr Khan’s special adviser, said his team was prepared to use “all legal possibilities” to establish the reasons behind the university’s decision to exclude him.
Mr Khan is serving a 10-year jail sentence in Pakistan after being accused of stoking protests and violence against the country’s all-powerful military last year. The former leader of the country claims the charges are politically motivated and designed to keep him out of power.
His lawyers have argued that all convictions have either been overturned or suspended, despite him remaining in jail.
Oxford University declined to comment on why Mr Khan was deemed ineligible when approached by The Telegraph. In a statement, the university said “applications were considered by the chancellor’s election committee solely on the four exclusion criteria set out in the university’s regulations”.
Voting to select the next Oxford chancellor will open up to students, staff and alumni later this month, but the initial candidate list was whittled down solely by the university over the summer.
The exclusion criteria stated that candidates must not be students or employees at Oxford University, nor “a serving member of, or a declared candidate for election to, an elected legislature”.
The university also prohibited any applicants who have been “disqualified from being a charity trustee… or subject to a disqualification order made by the Charity Commission”. Candidates must also be a “fit and proper person” as determined by guidance published from time to time by His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs”.
‘We took the advice of KCs’
Mr Bukhari said: “When you go through all four conditions, he meets all of them. Now lawyers have written to them [Oxford University] – we want to categorically know under what precondition has he not qualified.
“Naturally, before applying for this role we took the advice of KCs, top solicitors across the country, barristers – and with their consent and their opinion did we go ahead. So legally there is no reason why Imran Khan should not be allowed to contest.
“I’m sure we will get to the bottom of it. We will use all legal possibilities.”
The Telegraph has seen a legal document from a top London law firm that concluded that Mr Khan was likely ineligible to become Oxford Chancellor “in light of one of his criminal convictions”. It is understood that the legal opinion was written by Hugh Southey KC, a leading lawyer working at Matrix Chambers.
Oxford University declined to comment on whether it had any involvement in commissioning the legal opinion.
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office was not involved in the vetting process, The Telegraph understands.
Mr Khan’s application to become Oxford chancellor was widely perceived as an attempt to draw attention to his political plight, and he was considered one of the four main frontrunners despite a backlash from some alumni.
