A distinguished group of 21 former international cricketers has issued a renewed appeal to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, expressing deep concern over the medical care and detention conditions of former World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan. This latest petition follows a previous letter sent in February by 14 former captains and highlights a growing international call for transparency regarding Khan’s health.
The signatories, who emphasize they are writing “not as politicians, but as former colleagues and rivals who share a bond forged on the cricket field,” clarified that they do not intend to interfere in Pakistan’s domestic legal affairs. Instead, they are urging the government to fulfill a specific Supreme Court directive that mandated Khan be transferred to a hospital for a comprehensive examination by a medical board, which was to include his personal physicians and his sister, Dr. Uzma Khan.
The appeal was prompted by recent events where Khan was subjected to a brief examination by a state-appointed medical team rather than the court-sanctioned board. Following this short visit, he was declared “medically fit” and returned to Adiala Jail before an independent assessment could be finalized. His legal team and family have argued that this process failed to meet the standards set by the judiciary.
The letter outlines three primary demands: the immediate restoration of weekly family visitation rights, the completion of an independent assessment by the court-directed medical board, and the prompt provision of any medical treatment recommended by that board. Greg Chappell, the former Australian captain and India coach who initiated the appeal, stated, “We’re not asking Pakistan for anything unusual — just that a court order most countries would take for granted is actually carried out.”
The list of 21 signatories includes legendary figures such as Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Michael Atherton, Alex Blackwell, Allan Border, Michael Brearley, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Alastair Cook, Michael Gatting, Lee Germon, Adam Gilchrist, David Gower, Kim Hughes, Nasser Hussain, Clive Lloyd, Arjuna Ranatunga, Andrew Strauss, Stephen Waugh, and John Wright.
Khan has remained incarcerated for the past three years. The former cricketers, many of whom hold significant civilian honors, noted that the recent hospital visit lasted only a few hours, failing to address the comprehensive medical oversight required by the Supreme Court’s order. The report also notes that this is their second appeal in a span of six months.
