A group of 21 former international cricket captains, including Sri Lanka's Arjuna Ranatunga, has issued a second letter to Pakistan's Prime Minister expressing concern over how Imran Khan is being treated in custody.
A coalition of 21 former cricket captains from multiple nations has appealed to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regarding the treatment of Imran Khan, the country's former leader and 1992 World Cup-winning captain who has been imprisoned since August 2023. The letter, which includes signatures from Indian legends Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, as well as Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga, marks the second such appeal in six months.
The ex-cricketers expressed concern that a recent order by Pakistan's Supreme Court directing Khan's transfer to hospital for medical assessment has not been properly implemented. According to the letter, Khan spent only a few hours at the hospital before being returned to Adiala Jail, examined by state-appointed physicians rather than the independent medical board the Court had specified, which was to include Khan's personal doctors and his sister. The cricketers noted that Khan's family and legal representatives believe this falls short of the Court's directive.
The letter makes three specific requests: that the Supreme Court-directed medical board, including Khan's own physicians, be allowed to complete a full and independent health assessment, particularly regarding reported vision loss in his right eye; that weekly family visits reinstated by the Court be honored without interruption; and that any treatment recommended by the medical board be provided promptly. The signatories emphasized they are not commenting on Pakistan's domestic legal processes but appealing to basic humanitarian principles.
Khan, who is 73 years old and has spent over three years in custody, faces multiple convictions alongside his wife Bushra Bibi, who is serving a seven-year sentence. The former Prime Minister served from August 2018 until April 2022, when his government fell following a parliamentary no-confidence motion.
