Ex-cricket captains urge 'proper medical care' for Imran Khan

What the report says

A group of 21 former international cricket captains has urged Pakistan to ensure that former prime minister Imran Khan receives proper medical care while in custody, according to the BBC. The letter, initiated by former Australia captain Greg Chappell and signed by figures including Sunil Gavaskar, Sir Alastair Cook, Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Andrew Strauss, Kapil Dev and others, said it was a matter of basic decency to complete a court-ordered medical process.

Khan, who led Pakistan before becoming a political opposition figure, has been in jail since 2023 on corruption-related charges that he denies. The BBC reported that the signatories were concerned he was given only a brief hospital examination by a state-appointed team last week, and that his party has filed a contempt petition over the authorities’ failure to allow access to his own doctors as ordered by the Supreme Court.

In their letter to Pakistan’s current leader, Shehbaz Sharif, the former captains asked for three things: a medical board directed by the Supreme Court and including Khan’s personal physicians, regular family visits without delay, and prompt treatment if specialists recommend it. The issue has drawn attention because Khan remains a prominent and polarizing political figure in Pakistan, and because his health concerns have become part of wider disputes over his detention. The BBC also noted that the Supreme Court had ordered a transfer to a private hospital for examination, but Khan was instead assessed at a government hospital before being returned to prison.