Former captains unite for Imran Khan's welfare

More than two dozen of the game's most decorated former captains have come together in an extraordinary appeal to the Pakistani government, urging humane treatment and proper medical care for jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister and World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan.

The letter, addressed to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was initiated by former Australia captain Greg Chappell and signed by 21 former international captains — including Indian greats Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar. It marks the second appeal by former captains seeking improved conditions for the 73-year-old Khan, who has been imprisoned since 2023.

Three key requests

The captains were careful to stress that they are "not seek to adjudicate Pakistan's domestic legal processes but believed that ensuring a court-ordered medical process was completed was a basic matter of decency." They have made three specific requests to the Pakistan government:

• Allow an independent medical assessment: They asked that the medical board ordered by Pakistan's Supreme Court — including Imran Khan's personal doctors — be permitted to complete a full and independent assessment of his health, particularly regarding the reported loss of vision in his right eye.
• Restore uninterrupted family visits: The captains urged the government to honour the Supreme Court order allowing Khan's family to meet him every week without interruption or administrative delays.
• Provide treatment without delay: Any medical treatment recommended following the assessment should be provided promptly.

Khan's continued detention

Khan has been detained since 2023. Late last year, he and his wife were sentenced to 17 years in prison on corruption charges, which they both deny. On the latest development, Khan was taken back to jail just hours after being moved to Islamabad's private Shifa International Hospital for medical checks ordered by the Supreme Court. His lawyers had approached the court over concerns about his health.

Besides the three former Indian captains, the letter has been signed by a range of international greats: Michael Atherton, Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Andrew Strauss and David Gower from England; Allan Border, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Adam Gilchrist, Steve Waugh and Kim Hughes from Australia; Clive Lloyd from the West Indies; John Wright from New Zealand; and Alastair Cook and Arjuna Ranuptake among others.

Background

Khan served as Pakistan's Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022 before being removed through a no-confidence vote during a political crisis between his government and Pakistan's military establishment. Since then, he has faced multiple legal cases on corruption and other charges.

Khan and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), have maintained that the cases against him are politically motivated. His arrest in May 2023 triggered protests across Pakistan, some of which turned violent and led to hundreds of arrests.