Why Imran Khan should become the next Chancellor of Oxford University

The office of chancellor may be small, but there are few roles in British public life as revered as that of chancellor of the University of Oxford.

Some of the most famous figures in British history have held this position, including Oliver Cromwell, the Duke of Wellington, George Curzon and, more recently, Harold Macmillan, one of Britain's most admired prime ministers.

Imran Khan could join the list of prime ministers who have been chancellors of Oxford. That alone makes him a far more distinguished candidate than the two main rivals who have so far emerged for the job: Peter Mandelson, a cabinet minister under Tony Blair, and William Hague, foreign secretary under David Cameron.

Worthy and respected candidates, perhaps, but mediocre and unadventurous.

When he stepped into the ring on August 18, Khan electrified the competition.

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Khan is a political prisoner in Pakistan. It is no secret that Khan is in prison for challenging the stinking, corrupt and rotten two-party system that has thwarted Pakistan’s democratic process for half a century.

He launched his national challenge through the political party he founded, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

It translates to Movement for Justice and embodies exactly the values ​​of freedom and justice that Khan learned as a student of politics and economics at Keble College, Oxford 50 years ago.

Khan sacrificed everything and suffered two assassination attempts to defend these exceptional Oxonian values.

He is now languishing in solitary confinement in a Pakistani prison.

Nelson Mandela in Pakistan

Khan is Pakistan's Nelson Mandela. When he emerges from prison, he will be the most revered and popular man in his country, with the power and moral force to challenge the system of dispossession and arbitrary rule that has so long hobbled Pakistan.

Khan, it should be remembered, also has international enemies. From the beginning, he sought to forge an independent Pakistani foreign policy. This made him a courageous and eloquent opponent of former US President George W. Bush’s war on terror, and especially of the torture and lawlessness that accompanied it.

When he became Prime Minister in 2018, after a long struggle, he categorically refused to become a pawn of the United States.

Imran Khan is exactly what the US hates in a Pakistani politician: a man of principle.

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There have been many reports that the US has tried to discredit him. Anyone with even a passing interest in Pakistani history knows that these rumours are not fanciful.

Since Pakistan's independence in 1947, the United States (aided by Britain) has treated Pakistan as a vassal state. The last thing the United States wants is a Pakistani leader who upholds the Oxonian values ​​of liberty and justice.

This is why anyone who cares about the fate of the Palestinians should certainly support Khan for the post of chancellor of Oxford University.

Look through Lords Mandelson and Hague's dossier on Israeli war crimes and atrocities in Gaza. You will find nothing there.

Yet even from prison, and under constant surveillance and censorship, Khan found ways to make his deep concern known.

He recently spoke out in an interview with ITV on August 19, when he warned Keir Starmer's government that: “The world is watching and expecting them to step up, particularly in light of the horrific situation in Gaza and the erosion of democratic principles globally.”

What a contrast between Khan's courage and high principles, speaking under duress from prison, and the complicit silence of Mandelson and Hague in the comfort of the House of Lords.

Protest vote

It is also worth noting the contrast between Khan and the US-backed Arab dictators who have shamefully abandoned the Palestinian people. A vote for Khan as Chancellor of Oxford would be, among other things, a protest vote against British complicity in the Gaza massacre.

This is why, when night falls, we must expect an attempt by the British establishment to block Khan's candidacy.

Many Pakistanis speak of the “London plot” that led to his downfall. His idealism, decency and raw courage made him a deeply embarrassing figure to the United States and Britain.

Many will see Hague or Mandelson as safer and more conciliatory figures.

Let us not forget that Hague, as British Foreign Secretary, enabled the disastrous military intervention in Libya. Mandelson runs Global Counsel, a business consultancy. In government, as a close adviser to Tony Blair, he approved the illegal invasion of Iraq.

His idealism, decency and raw courage made him a deeply embarrassing figure to both the United States and Britain.

Who truly embodies Oxford’s values? Mandelson? Hague? Or Khan, an inspiring figure who has managed to rise to the top of two extremely competitive fields: sport and politics?

He captained the Oxford University cricket team and then had a distinguished career as a Pakistani cricketer, leading his country to victory in the 1992 World Cup. He later devoted himself to building the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, named after his mother, before entering national politics.

He has written several excellent books, among which I would particularly recommend his partly autobiographical treatise, Pakistan: A Personal History, which sets out his political vision.

Moreover, Khan already has highly relevant experience as long-serving Chancellor of the University of Bradford, where his performance was widely praised.

An international disgrace

While Khan will not be immediately available to attend ceremonies, many in Pakistan believe his release is only a matter of time.

Last month, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found Khan's imprisonment to be “arbitrary,” adding that the appropriate remedy would be to release Mr. Khan immediately and grant him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.

Pakistan: Imran Khan faces state anger

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There is one factor that has been overlooked in Khan’s favour. Thanks to a recent rule change, Oxford graduates can now vote remotely. This means that Oxfordians around the world can express their support for a political prisoner whose treatment has become an international disgrace.

It would also send an important message. Three former Pakistani prime ministers – Liaquat Ali Khan, Zulfikar Bhutto and his daughter Benazir – studied at Oxford. Two of them were assassinated and one (Zulfikar Bhutto) was murdered by the courts.

It is perhaps a little more difficult to kill a Chancellor of Oxford.

Khan's election would also, in my view, be beneficial for Oxford.

It is a great university, but voting for Mandelson or Hague would send a worrying message that Oxford – like post-Brexit Britain – has become inward-looking.

With Khan as chancellor, Oxford could send a message to the world: it is open to scholars not only from Eton but from Ethiopia; not only from Marlborough but also from Mumbai; from Lahore as well as from London.

Above all, it would show the world that Oxford University is still a beacon of freedom and justice.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.

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