LONDON: Syed Zulfi Bukhari, former prime minister Imran Khan’s adviser on international affairs, has claimed that Oxford University was put under pressure by Pakistani government sources to block the PTI founder from contesting the chancellor election.

Bukhari ran a high-profile media campaign for the imprisoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) top leader to run in the election but the university decided to not allow Khan to stand in the election, let alone become the chancellor, over Toshakhana conviction and politicisation of the issue.

Speaking to Geo News, Bukhari said he was convinced that the government forces from Pakistan campaigned against Khan’s candidacy and put the university under some kind of pressure to block him from contesting the chancellor election.

“The Oxford University has made a very narrow-minded and pressured decision to block Imran Khan. The decision came as a big disappointment because the whole of Pakistan wanted Imran Khan to take part in the Oxford University chancellor election. People from India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and many Islamic countries wanted Imran Khan to take part, he claimed.

The PTI leader further said that nearly 200 Oxford alumni signed the petition in Khan’s support, saying there were no legal grounds to block Imran Khan.

“Before we submitted Imran Khan’s nomination papers we took advice from many King’s Counsels (KCs) and they agreed that nothing is barring Imran Khan legally from taking part. The Oxford Uni has made a narrow-minded and pressured decision to block Imran Khan. To say that Imran Khan is convicted in the Toshakhana case would not justify the decision because in the same case, the United Nations Working Group has said that Imran Khan’s detention is illegal and cases against him are politically motivated.

In all other cases the sentences have been appealed and set aside so there is no legal standing. At the end of the day, Oxford University has a charitable status and according to the UK rules governing charities, Imran Khan is eligible to open his bank accounts and become a trustee or become a charity director.”

Bukhari said one of the biggest awareness campaigns in the history of Oxford University was run around Khan’s candidacy and the whole world got to know about his case through this campaign. He said he was aware that the varsity was petitioned against Khan – first started by social media activists R A Shehzad and Hajra Khan and later picked up PML-N UK’s Khurram Butt and several others – but he said several other actors played a role too.

He said: “I understand that many pressures came alongside his candidacy. I believe that Oxford Uni has made a ‘pressured decision’ and Lord Daniel Hannan clearly said it a decision was made in pressure. I do not think the UK government has played a part but the Pakistani government certainly has. Political differences aside, the Pakistani government should have supported Imran Khan as he would have presented Pakistan on a global stage. They should have supported him as a Pakistani hero. There is no doubt that there was enough pressure applied and Oxford University may have thought that they did not want to get involved in a muddy situation.”

Bukhari has also said he is considering legal action against the university and already written to the university.

“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 Khan should not be allowed to contest. I’m sure we will get to the bottom of it. We will use all legal possibilities.”

A university source told Geo News: “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 prominent names wanting to become the next Chancellor are Lord William Hague, Lady Elish Angiolini, Lord Peter Mandelson, Khan, Dr Margaret Casely-Hayford and Dominic Grieve but only Khan has been disqualified from the top five well-known figures.

Geo News had reported exclusively on Tuesday that a King’s Counsel at UK’s leading law firm Matrix Chambers has opined that former prime minister Khan is not eligible for Oxford Chancellorship according to the university’s own regulations. Hugh Southey, King's Counsel at Matrix Chambers in London said: “In my opinion, Khan is unlikely to be eligible to be a candidate in light of one of his criminal convictions.”