22 Former Captains Urge Shehbaz Sharif to Ensure Imran Khan’s Medical Care

Former Pakistan prime minister and national cricket captain Imran Khan has once again received support from former international cricket captains, with 22 ex-captains urging Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to ensure proper medical treatment for the former cricketer.

The latest letter is the second message from former captains within the past six months regarding concerns over Khan’s health and medical care. They said recent developments suggest that the directions issued by Pakistan’s Supreme Court regarding his medical treatment have not been fully implemented.

According to the former captains, Khan was taken to hospital but remained there for only a few hours. They alleged that a government-appointed medical team declared him medically fit and returned him to prison before the court-ordered medical board had completed its assessment.

The Supreme Court had reportedly directed that Khan undergo a comprehensive medical examination by a medical board that would include his personal doctors and his sister, Dr Uzma Khan. The court had also restored his right to meet family members once a week.

Three Key Demands

The former captains made three specific demands in their letter.

First, they called for an independent medical board, including Khan’s personal doctors, to be allowed to complete a full health assessment in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directions. They specifically urged authorities to investigate reports concerning the loss of vision in his right eye.

Second, they called for Khan’s weekly family meetings, restored by the court, to take place regularly without administrative obstacles or unnecessary delays.

Third, they urged authorities to ensure that any medical treatment recommended following the examination is provided promptly, regardless of the outcome of the assessment.

The former captains also clarified that their appeal was not politically motivated. They said they were speaking as Khan’s former teammates and opponents on the cricket field rather than taking a position on his political affairs. They also stressed that they had no intention of judging Pakistan’s internal legal proceedings.

The letter was signed by Michael Atherton, Alex Blackwell, Allan Border, Mike Brearley, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Alastair Cook, Mike Gatting, Sunil Gavaskar, Lee Germon, Adam Gilchrist, David Gower, Kim Hughes, Nasser Hussain, Clive Lloyd, Kapil Dev, Arjuna Ranatunga, Andrew Strauss, Dilip Vengsarkar, Steve Waugh and John Wright.

Earlier this year, 14 former international captains had written to Shehbaz Sharif expressing concern over Khan’s health. At the time, Khan’s family alleged that medical neglect in prison had left him with severe loss of vision in one eye.

Khan served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 to 2022. Following his removal from office, he was sentenced in several cases to different prison terms, including 10-, 14- and 17-year sentences in corruption-related cases. He was also sentenced to seven years in a case involving allegations that he and his wife, Bushra Bibi, violated the legally required waiting period before their marriage ahead of the 2024 election.

International human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Federation for Human Rights, have previously expressed concern over Khan’s legal proceedings and conditions in prison.

The latest appeal from 22 former cricket captains has once again put Imran Khan’s medical treatment, independent health assessment and access to his family under the international spotlight.