Indian cricket legends Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar are among 21 former international captains who have written to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, renewing an appeal for “humane treatment” and adequate medical care for jailed former Pakistan skipper and prime minister Imran Khan.
The fresh intervention, initiated by former Australian captain Greg Chappell, follows concerns over whether a recent medical examination of the 73-year-old Khan complied fully with directions issued by Pakistan’s Supreme Court. The signatories represent nine cricket-playing nations. The latest appeal comes six months after 14 former international captains first approached the Pakistan government over Khan’s treatment. Seven additional former captains have now joined the initiative.
Medical examination questioned
The former captains referred to a Supreme Court order directing that Khan be taken to hospital and examined by a medical board that was to include his personal physicians and his sister, Dr Uzma Khan. The court had also restored weekly visits by family members.
According to the letter, however, Khan remained in hospital for only a few hours and was examined by a state-appointed medical team rather than the board envisaged by the court. He was subsequently declared medically fit and returned to Adiala Jail. His family and legal representatives have maintained that the process did not fulfil the court’s directions.
The former cricketers have now asked Sharif’s government to allow the court-directed medical board to conduct a complete and independent assessment, particularly in light of reports concerning deterioration in the vision of Khan’s right eye. They also sought prompt access to whatever treatment doctors recommend.
‘Not as politicians’
The signatories stressed that their appeal should not be interpreted as an attempt to intervene in Pakistan’s political or judicial affairs.
They said their concern stemmed from their decades-long association with Khan as fellow cricketers, teammates and opponents rather than from his subsequent political career.
The letter said they were not seeking to pass judgment on Pakistan’s domestic legal proceedings, but viewed compliance with a court-ordered medical process and humane treatment as basic matters of welfare.
The group also urged authorities to ensure that the weekly family visits restored by the Supreme Court take place without interruption.
Cricket greats join appeal
Apart from Gavaskar, Kapil and Vengsarkar, the signatories include several of the most prominent former captains in international cricket.
Among them are Allan Border, Adam Gilchrist, Steve Waugh, Ian Chappell and Greg Chappell of Australia; Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss, Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton, Michael Brearley and David Gower of England; West Indies great Clive Lloyd; Sri Lanka’s Arjuna Ranatunga; and former New Zealand captain John Wright.
The group spans generations that competed against Khan during his international career as well as prominent former captains from subsequent eras.
Khan remains one of Pakistan cricket’s most celebrated figures. His defining sporting achievement came in 1992 when he captained Pakistan to its first and only men’s ODI World Cup title.
He later entered politics and went on to serve as Pakistan’s prime minister before losing office in 2022. He has been in custody since August 2023 while facing multiple legal cases.
The renewed appeal from the former captains puts the focus specifically on Khan’s health and treatment in custody, with the cricketers asking the Pakistan government to ensure that the medical process ordered by the country’s highest court is completed and that his access to his family is protected.