Cricket Legends Urge Pakistan PM to Ensure Fair Medical Care for Imran Khan

A group of 22 former international cricket captains has written to Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for a second time in six months, urging him to ensure proper medical treatment for jailed former premier Imran Khan.

The signatories include Indian legends Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, as well as Australian greats Greg Chappell and Ian Chappell. The appeal follows Khan's brief transfer to a government hospital in Islamabad for a medical examination, after which he was declared fit and returned to Adiala prison in Rawalpindi.

The cricketers expressed concern over the procedure, noting that Pakistan's Supreme Court had ordered Khan to be examined by a medical board that included his personal physicians and his sister, Dr. Uzma Khan. Instead, they said, he was seen by a state-appointed team and sent back to jail within hours.

Khan, 73, who captained Pakistan to the 1992 Cricket World Cup title and later served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, has been imprisoned since 2023. His family and lawyers have accused the government of ignoring court orders and subjecting him to harsh conditions.

The government has denied these allegations, stating that Khan was examined by doctors from the private hospital specified in the court order, but could not be taken there for security reasons. Officials also said Khan has received over 900 visits from family, lawyers, and others, and is allowed weekly contact with his wife.

The former captains said they were writing not as politicians, but as former colleagues and rivals who share a bond forged on the cricket field. This is the second such appeal from the group; a previous letter in February raised concerns after Khan's family said he had lost significant vision in his right eye.