A distinguished group of 21 former international cricket captains has issued a renewed appeal to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, expressing deep concern over the medical treatment and detention conditions of former Pakistan captain Imran Khan. This latest letter serves as a follow-up to an initial request sent in February by 14 former captains, highlighting ongoing frustrations regarding the implementation of a Supreme Court directive.
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 are not attempting to interfere in Pakistan’s domestic legal affairs. Instead, they are calling for the fulfillment of a specific Supreme Court order that mandated Khan be transferred to a hospital for an independent medical examination, including his own personal physicians and his sister, Dr. Uzma Khan.
The appeal was prompted by recent developments where, according to the signatories, the authorities failed to adhere to the court’s instructions. Rather than being assessed by the court-directed board, Khan was examined by a state-appointed medical team, declared “medically fit,” and promptly returned to Adiala Jail before the independent board could finish its work. His legal team and family maintain that this process did not satisfy the judicial mandate.
The letter outlines three primary requests: that the court-mandated medical board be allowed to finalize its independent assessment, that weekly family visits be reinstated, and that any medical treatment recommended by the board be provided without further delay. Greg Chappell, the former Australia captain 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 prominent 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. These players, many of whom have received civilian honors, noted that Khan has been incarcerated for the past three years, with his most recent hospital visit lasting only a few hours. The report also notes that this is their second appeal in a span of six months. The report also notes that in all, there were 21 signatories to the appeal, which follows developments this week that, they say, fall short of a Supreme Court directive.
