Islamabad: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is currently in jail and the country has imposed a ban on his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). At a time when he can’t do much in politics, Khan has applied to become the next chancellor of Britain’s Oxford University.

He “formally submitted” the request via Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, the London-based spokesman for Khan’s PTI, the party said on the social media platform X. Khan himself is an Oxford alumnus as in 1972, he enrolled in Keble College where he studied philosophy, politics and economics, graduating in 1975.

“Pakistan’s national hero and Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, founder and chairman of Pakistan’s biggest political party PTI, a cricketing legend, a philanthropist and an alumnus of Oxford University, is running for the position of Chancellor of Oxford University, all while being imprisoned,” the PTI post read.

“Despite being unlawfully incarcerated for over a year, Khan remains committed to his principles and the causes he champions. Zulfi Bukhari has confirmed that the application has been formally submitted,” it added.

Oxford Chancellor To Step Down

This comes after Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, announced in February that he would be stepping down as Oxford chancellor. The university’s website said the list of candidates for the 10-year term will not be made public until October.

After his graduation, Khan then reportedly led a playboy lifestyle during his career as one of Pakistan’s greatest cricket players, regularly gracing the pages of Britain’s gossip magazines, according to Al Jazeera. The former Pakistan premier married three times in his life, including to British socialite and filmmaker Jemima Goldsmith.

He also served as the chancellor of the University of Bradford from 2005 until 2014. Khan later turned to philanthropy and politics, serving as Pakistan’s Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022. He was ousted from premiership in 2022 when he lost a vote of confidence, following which he launched a strong comeback campaign attacking Pakistan’s military, whose leading generals had once backed him, and drew massive crowds onto the nation’s streets.

Imran Khan In Jail, PTI Banned

In August last year, he was put behind the bars on various charges from corruption to inciting violence.

On July 15 this year, Pakistan’s information minister Attaullah Tarar announced the federal government’s plan to ban the country’s main opposition party PTI. He further said that along with Khan, two other PTI leaders, Arif Alvi, former Pakistan president (2018-24) and Qasim Suri, national assembly deputy speaker (2018-22) would be charged with treason under Article 6.

On Monday, an accountability court on Monday sent former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to jail on a 15-day judicial remand in a new case relating to gifts acquired from the state repository, local media reported.

The ex-Pakistan PM is also facing multiple cases relating to May 9, 2023 protests, which saw his supporters attack government and military installations over his brief arrest in a graft case.