Key facts
- 21 former cricket captains, including Sunil Gavaskar and Sir Alastair Cook, have urged Pakistan's leader Shehbaz Sharif to ensure proper medical care for Imran Khan.
- Imran Khan, 73, has been in jail since August 2023 on corruption charges he denies.
- The captains are concerned Khan received limited hospital access and was denied his personal doctors.
- They demanded Khan be assessed by a Supreme Court-directed medical board including his physicians, particularly for reported vision loss.
- The letter also requested uninterrupted weekly family visits and prompt provision of recommended medical treatment.
- Khan was transferred to a government hospital but deemed 'medically fit' and returned to prison, despite a court order for a private hospital examination.
A group of 21 former international cricket captains, including prominent figures like India's Sunil Gavaskar and England's Sir Alastair Cook, have penned a letter to Pakistan's current leader, Shehbaz Sharif, expressing deep concern over the medical care of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Khan, 73, has been incarcerated since August 2023 on corruption charges that he and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, maintain are politically motivated. The cricketers voiced alarm that Khan was only granted a few hours for a medical examination by a state-appointed team last week, and that his party has filed a contempt petition against the government for failing to comply with a Supreme Court order allowing him access to his own doctors.
The signatories outlined three specific demands: first, that Khan undergo an assessment by a medical board directed by Pakistan's Supreme Court, which should include his personal physicians, particularly concerning reported vision loss in his right eye. Second, they urged authorities to permit weekly family visits as mandated by the court, free from administrative delays. Third, they requested that any treatment recommended by the medical board be administered promptly.
Initiated by former Australian captain Greg Chappell, the letter highlighted that Khan has spent over three years in custody. The signatories emphasized that regardless of the legal and political complexities of Khan's case, ensuring the completion of a court-ordered medical process should be a matter of basic decency. Fourteen of these former captains had also supported a similar appeal in February for humane treatment and proper medical care for Khan.
Khan, who previously captained Pakistan's national cricket team, served as Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022. He faces over 100 cases, including allegations of leaking state secrets and selling state gifts. His imprisonment led to significant protests by his supporters, which were met with a government crackdown. The Supreme Court's directive on Tuesday for Khan's transfer to a private hospital for examination was not fully followed, as he was instead seen by doctors at a government facility who declared him 'medically fit' before his return to prison.