Give Imran Khan proper medical care, cricket legends urge Pakistani gov’t

Pakistan’s imprisoned former prime minister and cricket captain, Imran Khan, must be given “humane treatment and proper medical care”, urge a group of cricket greats in a letter seen by Al Jazeera and addressed to Pakistan’s current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Twenty-one former captains from around the world have appealed to Sharif’s government to allow an independent assessment of Khan’s health, reinstate his weekly family visits and provide him with the required medical treatment without delay, four signatories of the letter confirmed to Al Jazeera late on Sunday.

Khan, 73, has been imprisoned for the past three years on a range of charges.

On Tuesday , Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered local authorities to transfer Khan from Adiala jail to the privately run Shifa International Hospital by midnight on Thursday. However on Saturday, Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), filed a contempt petition against the government after he was sent to a state-run hospital instead of the private facility ordered by the top court, party officials said.

Khan is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest-ever all-rounders and arguably Pakistan’s greatest cricketer, who led his nation to its first World Cup win in 1992 and holds the record for most international wins for a Pakistani captain.

Khan’s former cricket adversaries turned friends said the recent events prompted them to pen a letter to Sharif, who replaced the PTI founder as prime minister in April 2022 and again after Pakistan’s last general election in February 2024.

The letter, dated August 23, follows similar outreach in February by 14 former international cricket captains who raised concerns over Khan’s deteriorating health and alleged mistreatment during his imprisonment.

“We wrote then not as politicians, but as former colleagues and rivals who share a bond forged on the cricket field — one that transcends the borders and disputes that too often divide countries,” said the letter.