Cricket legends stand by Imran Khan, demand urgent treatment

Sport Desk

More than a dozen former international cricket captains, including India’s Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, on Tuesday stood by jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, appealing to the Islamabad government to provide him with “adequate” medical treatment.

A statement signed by 14 captains demanding better treatment for Khan, seen by AFP, said the former World Cup-winning captain had lost most of the vision in his right eye, according to his lawyer.

Khan has been in prison since 2023. He and his wife were sentenced to 17 years in prison late last year in a corruption case, although they both deny the charges.
Last week, his lawyer met Imran Khan in prison and later submitted a report to the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the Supreme Court, detailing his concerns and requesting medical treatment for his client.

The statement signed by the former cricket captains “respectfully” requested Pakistan to “ensure that Imran Khan receives immediate and ongoing medical care from qualified specialists of his choice.”

The campaign, led by former Australian captain and Khan’s contemporary Greg Chappell, “deserves a fair and transparent legal process without undue delay or obstruction,” the statement said.

Other signatories include Michael Atherton, Michael Brierley, Nasser Hussain and David Gower (England), Allan Border, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clarke, Steve Waugh and Kim Hughes (Australia), Clive Lloyd (West Indies) and John Wright (New Zealand).

Pakistan’s Supreme Court has already sought a report from Rawalpindi on Khan’s living conditions in Adiala Jail, which is related to a case pending since 2023.

Authorities had previously confirmed that Khan underwent a 20-minute medical procedure at a government hospital in Islamabad in January, but did not provide further details.
The captains called for “civility and justice”, saying: “Recent reports regarding his health – particularly the alarming deterioration of his eyesight while in custody – and the conditions of his imprisonment over the past two and a half years have left us deeply concerned.”

Imran Khan was the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 2018 to 2022. He was removed in a no-confidence vote during a political crisis caused by tensions between his government and Pakistan’s powerful military establishment.

He has since faced multiple legal cases, including corruption, with Khan and his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), claiming that the cases against him are politically motivated.

His arrest sparked nationwide protests in May 2023, some of which turned violent and hundreds of people were arrested. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s office told AFP it had not yet received the captains’ statement.