Fourteen widely respected former Test captains, including India’s Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, have appealed to the Pakistan government to provide proper
prison treatment to Imran Khan and expressed “deep concern” about his failing health.
Cricketer-turned-politician Khan, 73, has been in jail since August 2023, convicted in a string of cases that he says were politically driven following his ouster as Prime Minister in a 2022 parliamentary vote.
Khan’s family said he was facing “unimaginable mistreatment” in Rawalpindi jail.
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The former World Cup-winning captain is said to have been transferred to a local hospital earlier this week.
His lawyer told Pakistan’s Supreme Court last week that Khan had lost a significant amount of vision in his right eye while in custody. A medical board said on Monday that the swelling had reduced after treatment and his vision had improved.
The joint statement, conceptualised by Australia’s Greg Chappell, was delivered to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday. Greg was moved to seek support from the cricket fraternity following reports last week that Khan now had only 15 per cent vision in his right eye.
“I contacted them all.... The letter says it all. I have nothing further to add,” Greg told The Telegraph.
Besides Greg, his brother Ian Chappell and compatriots Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Belinda Clark and Kim Hughes have signed the petition. England’s Mike Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Mike Brearley and David Gower have also signed, alongside Clive Lloyd from the West Indies and John Wright from New Zealand.
Despite India’s fraught relations with Pakistan, including the military conflict last year, Gavaskar and Kapil have joined the appeal.
“Many of us competed against him, shared the field with him, or grew up idolising his all-round brilliance, charisma, and competitive spirit,” they said in the petition.
“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.”
Kapil Dev and Imran Khan
“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,” the petition added.
The cricket greats “respectfully” urged the Pakistan government “to ensure that Imran Khan receives immediate, adequate and ongoing medical attention from qualified specialists of his choosing to address his reported health issues”.
“Humane and dignified conditions of detention in line with international standards, including regular visits by close family members. Fair and transparent access to legal processes without undue delay or hindrance,” the petition added.
“Our shared history on the field reminds us that rivalry ends when the stumpsare drawn — and respect endures. Imran Khan embodied that spirit throughouthis career.”
The former captains called on the “authorities to honour it now by upholding theprinciples of decency and justice. This appeal is made inthe spirit of sportsmanship and common humanity, without prejudice to any legal proceedings.”
Imran’s proteges Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis and fellow speedsterShoaib Akhtar are among former Pakistani cricketers to have sought proper medical care for him.
Imran and his wife Bushra Bibi face charges in over 100 cases, ranging from leaking state secrets to sellingstate gifts, all of which hehas described as politically motivated.
He played 88 Tests and 175 ODIs for Pakistan between 1971 and 1992 and captained them to their only ODI World Cup victory in 1992.
His son Kasim Khan told Reuters earlier this week 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”.
