Ex-cricket captains urge 'proper medical care' for Imran Khan
The former skippers say it is "basic decency" for Pakistan to comply with a court-ordered medical assessment.
A collective of former cricket captains, including renowned Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar and one of England's longest-serving captains, Sir Alastair Cook, have appealed to Pakistan to guarantee appropriate medical attention for its former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, while he remains in custody.
Khan, a cricketer who transitioned into politics, has been incarcerated since 2023 on corruption allegations, which he refutes.
In a letter addressed to Pakistan's current leader, Shehbaz Sharif, the 21 former skippers expressed apprehension that Khan, aged 73, was granted "only a few hours" at a hospital last week, where he was examined by a state-appointed medical team.
Khan's political party has also initiated a contempt petition against the government, citing its failure to grant him access to his personal doctors, as mandated by the highest court.
The former cricket captains outlined three demands in their correspondence. Firstly, they requested that Khan undergo assessment by a medical board overseen by Pakistan's Supreme Court, which would include his personal physicians, specifically addressing the reported loss of vision in his right eye.
Secondly, they urged authorities to permit weekly visits from Khan's family, as ordered by the court, "without interruptions or administrative delays."
Finally, they asked that any treatment recommended by the medical board be "provided without delay."
"Imran Khan is 73 years old and has now spent more than three years in custody," stated the letter, which was initiated by former Australian captain Greg Chappell. "Whatever the legal and political arguments surrounding his case, the basic decency of ensuring a court-ordered medical process is actually completed is not, in our view, a controversial request."
Among the other signatories were England's Michael Atherton, Michael Brearley, Nasser Hussain, Andrew Strauss, and David Gower; India's Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar; and Australia's Belinda Clark, Adam Gilchrist, Steve Waugh, and Kim Hughes.
Fourteen of these former captains had also endorsed an earlier appeal in February, advocating for "humane treatment and proper medical care" for Khan. At that time, Khan's lawyer asserted that his client had only "15% vision left in his right eye" due to the inaction of prison authorities.
The signatories of both letters identified themselves as "former colleagues and rivals who share a bond forged on the cricket field," adding that this bond "transcends the borders and disputes that too often divide countries."
Khan, who previously captained the Pakistan national cricket team, served as Pakistan's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. He was imprisoned in August 2023 and has faced charges in over 100 cases, ranging from leaking state secrets to selling state gifts. He and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, maintain that all these charges are politically motivated.
His imprisonment triggered widespread protests by supporters, which were met with a crackdown by authorities.
On Tuesday, Pakistan's Supreme Court had instructed the government to transfer Khan to a private hospital for examination by physicians. However, he was instead seen by doctors at a government-run hospital in Islamabad, who declared him "medically fit," before he was returned to prison.