Fourteen former cricket captains on Tuesday expressed concerns about the reported treatment and incarceration conditions of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The signatories include India’s Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar, Australia’s Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark and Kim Hughes. The others in the group are English cricketers Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton, Michael Brearley and David Gower, New Zealand’s John Wright and West Indies’ Clive Lloyd.
In an open letter, the former international cricketers said that recent reports about his health, “particularly the alarming deterioration of his vision while in custody”, and the conditions of his imprisonment had caused them profound concern.
“As fellow cricketers who understand the values of fair play, honour and respect that transcend the boundary rope, we believe that a person of Imran Khan’s stature deserves to be treated with the dignity and basic human consideration befitting a former national leader and a global sporting icon,” the cricketers said.
Khan played for Pakistan between 1971 and 1992, when he captained the side to victory in the World Cup.
After retiring from the sport, Khan formed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party and served as the prime minister between August 2018 and April 2022. His government had collapsed after his relations with the Pakistani military leadership deteriorated.
The 73-year-old is facing several criminal cases, mostly linked to alleged corruption. He was arrested in August 2023 and has been in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail since September 2023.
Khan’s son Kasim had said on February 12 that the family has been informed that the former prime minister has “lost most of the vision in his right eye, with reports indicating only 15% eyesight remains”.
The group of former cricket captains on Tuesday said that Khan had served as the Pakistani prime minister “during a challenging period” and that “regardless of political perspectives, he holds the honour of having been democratically elected to the highest office in his country”.
The group urged the Pakistani government to ensure that Khan receives immediate and adequate medical attention from specialists of his choosing.
They also demanded humane and dignified conditions of detention in line with international standards, including regular visits by his family.
Khan should be provided “fair and transparent access to legal processes without undue delay or hindrance”, the letter added.
The letter called on the authorities to uphold the principles of decency and justice, saying that the appeal was being made in the spirit of sportsmanship and humanity, “without prejudice to any legal proceedings”.
“Cricket has long been a bridge between nations,” the former cricketers said. “Our shared history on the field reminds us that rivalry ends when the stumps are drawn – and respect endures. Imran Khan embodied that spirit throughout his career.”
While no Pakistani cricketer was a signatory to the letter, former players Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, Ramiz Raja, Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez have urged the authorities to provide Khan appropriate medical treatment, ESPN reported on Saturday.
While the Pakistani government has not commented on the matter, amid criticism, it had allowed Khan’s sister Uzma Khanum to meet him in prison in December. After meeting Khan, Khanum had told reporters at the time that he was healthy but struggling with the largely solitary conditions in the jail, Al Jazeera reported.
Khan’s son Kasim said on social media on February 12 that the loss of eyesight was the direct consequence of solitary confinement, medical neglect and the deliberate denial of proper treatment.
He said that the responsibility lies with the “regime in power, the Army chief and the puppets enabling this cruelty”, adding that he and his brother Suleiman, who are British citizens, were being denied visas to see their father.
In January 2025, a court sentenced Khan to 14 years imprisonment and his wife Bushra Bibi to seven years after finding them guilty in a corruption case.
Amnesty International had on December 17 urged the Pakistani authorities to “immediately restore” Khan’s access to his family and legal counsel in line with international human rights law. “The authorities must ensure that the conditions of detention fully comply with international norms and standards,” the human rights group had said.
This less than a week after the United Nations’ special rapporteur on torture called on the Pakistani government to take immediate steps to address reports of “inhumane and undignified detention conditions” of Khan.
The special rapporteur warned that the conditions Khan was reportedly living in “could amount to torture…”
Prolonged or indefinite solitary confinement is prohibited under international human rights law and constitutes a form of psychological torture when it extends longer than 15 days, the UN official had said.
Former Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin, who was not a signatory to the letter, on Tuesday also appealed for Khan to be “treated with dignity”.
Also read:
- What the huge show of support for Imran Khan in Islamabad says about Pakistan’s changing politics
- How Imran Khan’s polarising battle with Pakistan’s military could actually strengthen democracy
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