Gavaskar, Kapil among 21 ex-captains in fresh appeal to Pak PM over Imran Khan's health

A group of 21 former international captains, including Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar, has urged Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to ensure proper medical care for Imran Khan. They called for the Supreme Court-ordered medical assessment and weekly family visits to be carried out without interruption and with dignity.

In Short

• 21 former cricket captains urge Pakistan PM to ensure humane treatment of Imran Khan
• Former captains said their appeal was rooted in their shared cricketing history with Khan
• Signatories include cricket legends from India, England, Australia and other nations

A group of 21 former international cricket captains, including India greats Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, have renewed their appeal to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, urging his government to ensure "humane treatment and proper medical care" for former Pakistan captain and prime minister Imran Khan.

The appeal, issued on August 23, comes amid concerns over Khan's health and follows developments surrounding a court-directed medical examination. The 73-year-old former Pakistan captain has spent more than three years in custody. The latest appeal follows an earlier letter sent six months ago by 14 former international captains. Seven more former captains have now joined the group.

In their letter to Sharif, the former captains said their intervention was driven by their shared history with Khan on the cricket field rather than politics.

"Dear Prime Minister, six months ago, fourteen former international cricket captains wrote to you and the Pakistani government appealing for humane treatment and proper medical care for Imran Khan. 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. We write again now, joined by seven further former captains, because of what has reportedly just occurred," they wrote.

The group referred to a Pakistan Supreme Court order directing that Khan be transferred to a hospital for examination by a medical board that was to include his personal physicians and his sister, Dr Uzma Khan. The court had also reinstated weekly family visits.

"Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered that Imran Khan be transferred to a hospital for examination by a medical board that was to include his own personal physicians and his sister, Dr Uzma Khan. The Court also reinstated weekly family visits. These were very welcome steps," the letter stated.

"Concerningly, Mr Khan's hospital stay lasted only a few hours. He was examined by a state-appointed team rather than the board the Court had directed, declared 'medically fit,' and returned to Adiala Jail before that board could complete its work. His family and legal team say this falls short of what the court ordered," it added.

The former captains outlined three specific demands in their appeal. First, they called for the medical board directed by the Supreme Court to be allowed to conduct a complete and independent assessment of Khan's health, including concerns over reported loss of vision in his right eye.

Second, they urged authorities to honour the weekly family visits reinstated by the court without interruption or administrative delays.

Third, they called for any treatment recommended following the medical assessment to be provided to Khan without delay.

The former captains stressed that they were not seeking to intervene in Pakistan's domestic legal or political affairs.

"We're not asking Pakistan for anything unusual, just that a court order most countries would take for granted is actually carried out. We do not presume to adjudicate Pakistan's domestic legal processes. That is not our place, and it was not the spirit in which we wrote in February," they wrote.

"But we do ask, again, respectfully: 1. That the medical board directed by the Supreme Court, including Mr Khan's own doctors, be permitted to complete a full and independent assessment of his health, particularly the reported loss of vision in his right eye. 2. That the weekly family visits reinstated by the Court be honoured without interruption or administrative delay," the letter stated.

The former captains then reiterated their third request.

"3. That whatever the outcome of that medical assessment, the treatment recommended by it be provided without delay. Imran Khan is 73 years old and has now spent more than three years in custody," they wrote.

"Whatever the legal and political arguments surrounding his case, the basic decency of ensuring a court-ordered medical process is actually completed is not, in our view, a controversial request. It is one we believe every nation that plays this game would recognise as fair."

The letter concluded with an appeal for the matter to be resolved quickly and for Khan to be treated with dignity.

"We hope this matter can be resolved expeditiously and with the dignity Mr Imran Khan deserves. Yours in cricket," the former captains added.

The signatories include several prominent former captains from England, Australia, India, West Indies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

England is represented by Michael Atherton, Michael Brearley, Sir Alastair Cook, David Gower, Nasser Hussain and Sir Andrew Strauss.

Australia's signatories include Allan Border, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Kim Hughes and Stephen Waugh, while India is represented by Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar.

Former West Indies captain Sir Clive Lloyd, former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga and former New Zealand captain John Wright are also among the signatories.

The full list comprises Michael Atherton, Alex Blackwell, Allan Border, Michael Brearley, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Sir Alastair Cook, Sunil Gavaskar, Lee Germon, Adam Gilchrist, David Gower, Kim Hughes, Nasser Hussain, Sir Clive Lloyd, Kapil Dev, Nikhanj Deshamanya, Arjuna Ranatunga, Sir Andrew Strauss, Dilip Vengsarkar, Stephen Waugh and John Wright.

The latest appeal marks the second time that a group of former international captains has written to the Pakistan government over Khan's treatment. The first appeal, signed by 14 former captains, was made six months ago.

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