Pakistan’s imprisoned former prime minister and cricket captain, Imran Khan, must be given “humane treatment and proper medical care”, urge a group of cricket greats in a letter seen by Al Jazeera and addressed to Pakistan’s current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Twenty-one former captains from around the world have appealed to Sharif’s government to allow an independent assessment of Khan’s health, reinstate his weekly family visits and provide him with the required medical treatment without delay, four signatories of the letter confirmed to Al Jazeera late on Sunday. Khan, 73, has been imprisoned for the past three years on a range of charges.
On Tuesday, Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered local authorities to transfer Khan from Adiala jail to the privately run Shifa International Hospital by midnight on Thursday. However on Saturday, Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), filed a contempt petition against the government after he was sent to a state-run hospital instead of the private facility ordered by the top court, party officials said. Khan is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest-ever all-rounders and arguably Pakistan’s greatest cricketer, who led his nation to its first World Cup win in 1992 and holds the record for most international wins for a Pakistani captain.
Khan’s former cricket adversaries turned friends said the recent events prompted them to pen a letter to Sharif, who replaced the PTI founder as prime minister in April 2022 and again after Pakistan’s last general election in February 2024. The letter, dated August 23, follows similar outreach in February by 14 former international cricket captains who raised concerns over Khan’s deteriorating health and alleged mistreatment during his imprisonment. Greg Chappell, who shared a friendly bond with Khan following their retirement from cricket, initiated the letter on both occasions.
Lloyd told Al Jazeera on Sunday that he contributed to the letter. Former England captains David Gower, Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton also confirmed signing it. Notably, no former Pakistani cricketers were among the signatories of both letters, although several star players have publicly voiced concerns over Khan’s health in the past.
Gavaskar, Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar are the three Indian players among the 21, while former Sri Lanka captain, Arjuna Ranatunga, is the other South Asian name. Former Australian women’s team captains Alex Blackwell and Belinda Clark are also on the list of signatories. The letter praised the “welcome steps” of the Supreme Court ordering Khan’s transfer to a private hospital for medical examination by a board that included personal physicians and his sister, Dr Uzma Khan.
The signatories requested the government that: The former cricketers lamented Khan’s short-lived hospital visit. They reiterated the concerns raised by his family, who said the examination by a state-appointed team and swift return after being declared “medically fit” fell short of what the Supreme Court ordered. Full list of signatories: Michael Atherton, Alex Blackwell, Allan Border, Michael Brearley, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Alastair Cook, Sunil Gavaskar, Lee Germon, Adam Gilchrist, David Gower, Kim Hughes, Nasser Hussain, Clive Lloyd, Kapil Dev Nikhanj, Deshamanya Arjuna Ranatunga, Sir Andrew Strauss, Dilip Vengsarkar, Stephen Waugh, John Wright.
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