MORE than a dozen former international cricket captains, including India’s Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, rallied on Tuesday (17) in support of jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, urging the Islamabad government to provide him with “adequate” medical treatment.
The statement, signed by 14 captains and seen by AFP, calls for proper care for Khan, a former World Cup-winning captain who, according to his lawyer, has lost most of the vision in his right eye.
Khan has been in jail since 2023. Late last year, he and his wife were sentenced to 17 years on corruption charges, which they both deny.
His lawyer visited him in jail last week and later submitted a report to Pakistan’s chief justice and the Supreme Court outlining concerns about his health and requesting treatment.
The statement signed by the former captains “respectfully” urges Pakistan “to ensure that Imran Khan receives immediate, adequate and ongoing medical attention from qualified specialists of his choosing”.
The campaign is being led by former Australia captain Greg Chappell, a contemporary of Khan.
“Khan deserves fair and transparent access to legal processes without undue delay or hindrance,” the statement said.
Other signatories include Michael Atherton, Michael Brearley, Nasser Hussain and David Gower (England); Allan Border, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Steve Waugh and Kim Hughes (Australia); Clive Lloyd (West Indies); and John Wright (New Zealand).
Pakistan’s Supreme Court has already sought a report on Khan’s living conditions in Adiala jail near Rawalpindi, in connection with a case pending since 2023.
Authorities have previously confirmed that Khan underwent a 20-minute medical procedure in January at a government hospital in Islamabad but provided no further details.
“Recent reports concerning his health – particularly the alarming deterioration of his vision while in custody – and the conditions of his imprisonment over the past two and a half years have caused us profound concern,” the captains said, calling for “decency and justice”.
Despite strained relations between India and Pakistan, including military conflict last year, former India captains Gavaskar and Kapil signed the petition, expressing “deep concern” about Khan’s treatment and prison conditions.
“Many of us competed against him, shared the field with him, or grew up idolizing his all-round brilliance, charisma, and competitive spirit,” they said.
“Recent reports concerning his health – particularly the alarming deterioration of his vision while in custody – and the conditions of his imprisonment over the past two and a half years have caused us profound concern.
“As fellow cricketers who understand the values of fair play, honour, and respect that transcend the boundary rope, we believe that a person of Imran Khan’s stature deserves to be treated with the dignity and basic human consideration befitting a former national leader and a global sporting icon.
“Our shared history on the field reminds us that rivalry ends when the stumps are drawn – and respect endures. Imran Khan embodied that spirit throughout his career.”
Khan played 88 Tests and 175 one-day internationals for Pakistan between 1971 and 1992 and captained the team to their only one-day international World Cup victory in 1992.
His son, Kasim Khan, told Reuters that the immediate concern was his father’s health, but there were other pressing issues including “his freedom, abiding by correct human rights processes and also the rule of law and just ensuring that he's allowed a proper, fair trial”.
Khan served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022 before being removed in a no-confidence vote during a political crisis linked to tensions between his government and Pakistan’s military establishment.
He has since faced multiple legal cases on corruption and other charges.
Khan and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, say the cases against him are politically motivated.
His arrest in May 2023 triggered nationwide protests, some of which turned violent and led to hundreds of arrests.
The office of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told AFP it had not yet received the captains’ statement.
