Former cricket captains urge Pakistan to ensure better medical care for Imran Khan in prison

ISLAMABAD (AP) — More than a dozen former international cricket captains have urged Pakistan’s government to ensure better treatment in prison and medical care for former cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, citing concerns about his eyesight, as his party demanded Wednesday he be shifted to hospital from prison.

In a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, 14 former captains, including India’s Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, called for Khan to be treated with “dignity and basic human consideration,” expressing concern about reports that the vision in his right eye had worsened in detention.

“Recent reports concerning his health — particularly the alarming deterioration of his vision while in custody — and the conditions of his imprisonment over the past two and a half years have caused us profound concern,” the cricketers wrote.

There was no immediate official response from Islamabad, but authorities have said that Khan is getting better facilities at the prison, a claim endorsed by Khan's attorney Salman Safdar, who met with him recently.

Political allies of Khan and lawmakers from his opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party on Wednesday ended a dayslong sit-in outside parliament after doctors reported significant recovery in his right eye and no issues with his left.

Khan, 73, led Pakistan to the 1992 Cricket World Cup and later served as prime minister from 2018 until his ouster in 2022. He has been imprisoned since 2023 after he was convicted of graft and other offenses.

Khan, who has faced multiple trials since then, has said all the charges against him were politically motivated.

Concern about Khan’s health grew in late January after he was taken to hospital for eye treatment. Safdar, his lawyer, said last week that Khan had lost about 85% of the vision in his right eye.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said a day earlier that such claims were “propaganda.” Other government officials, citing doctors who treated Khan, said the vision in his right eye had improved significantly, although Khan’s family and his personal physician say they can only confirm his condition once they are allowed to see him.

According to Australia’s The Age newspaper, signatories include former captains Ian Chappell, Clive Lloyd, Allan Border, Michael Brearley, David Gower, John Wright and Kim Hughes, among others who played against Khan. “Many of us competed against him, shared the field with him, or grew up idolizing his all-round brilliance, charisma and competitive spirit,” the letter said.

The group also urged Pakistan to allow “immediate, adequate and ongoing medical attention from qualified specialists of his choosing.”

Several former Pakistani cricketers, including Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar, have also expressed concern publicly after former India batter Ajay Jadeja encouraged Pakistani players to speak out.

Khan made his international debut in 1971 against England and became captain in 1982. Widely regarded as one of cricket’s finest all-rounders, he retired soon after leading Pakistan to its only World Cup title in 1992. He founded the PTI party in 1996 and rose to power in 2018.

Khan was removed from office in April 2022 through a parliamentary no-confidence vote and later jailed after court convictions. He alleges his removal resulted from a U.S.-backed conspiracy involving political rivals and Pakistan’s military, claims denied by Washington, the military and Prime Minister Sharif, who succeeded him.

Despite his imprisonment, Khan remains a central and influential figure in Pakistan’s politics.