21 Former Cricket Captains Urge PM Shehbaz Sharif to Ensure Proper Medical Treatment for Imran Khan
ISLAMABAD: Twenty-one former international cricket captains from nine countries have jointly appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to ensure proper and comprehensive medical examination and treatment for former Pakistan prime minister and 1992 World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan on humanitarian grounds.
The letter is described as a continuation of an appeal sent in February by 14 former captains. With seven additional former captains joining the latest initiative, a total of 21 cricket legends have now urged the Pakistani government to address Imran Khan’s medical needs.
The former cricketers said they were writing not as politicians but as former teammates and opponents whose relationships were formed on the cricket field, transcending national borders and political differences.
According to the letter, the Supreme Court had ordered that Imran Khan be shifted to a hospital and examined by a medical board comprising his personal doctors and his sister, Dr Uzma Khan. The former captains expressed concern that he was kept at the hospital for only a few hours and was subsequently returned to Adiala Jail after being examined by a government medical team instead of the board specified in the court order.
The cricket legends placed three key demands before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. They called for the medical board, including Imran Khan’s personal doctors, to be allowed to conduct a comprehensive assessment of his health, particularly his deteriorating vision in the right eye. They also urged the government to ensure the weekly family meetings restored by the Supreme Court take place without administrative delays.
The former captains further demanded that any treatment recommended following the medical assessment be provided without delay.
The letter was reportedly initiated through the efforts of Australian cricket great Greg Chappell. Among the prominent former captains who signed it are Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar of India; Allan Border, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist, Kim Hughes, Belinda Clark and Alex Blackwell of Australia; and Michael Atherton, Michael Brearley, Sir Alastair Cook, David Gower, Nasser Hussain and Sir Andrew Strauss of England.
Other signatories include Sir Clive Lloyd of the West Indies, Arjuna Ranatunga of Sri Lanka, John Wright of New Zealand and Lee Germain.
Concluding their letter, the former captains noted that 73-year-old Imran Khan has been imprisoned for more than three years. They said that, regardless of political or legal arguments, a complete and transparent medical process in accordance with the court’s orders is a fundamental right and a matter of justice.
The former cricketers expressed hope that the matter would be resolved promptly and with dignity.
