Former cricket captains appeal to Pakistan over Khan’s health care

A coalition of 21 former cricket captains, including Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, penned a letter to Pakistan's government on Sunday concerning the health care of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, currently incarcerated. Khan, a 73-year-old ex-Pakistani cricket captain, has been jailed since 2023 and was recently transferred back to jail after a hospital visit for court-ordered medical checks.

The Supreme Court had ordered Khan's transfer to the private Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for treatment after his lawyers filed a petition regarding his health, particularly the alleged loss of vision in his right eye. The cricket captains' letter, following a February letter on Khan's medical treatment, outlined three requests: first, granting the medical board directed by the Supreme Court the authority to conduct an independent and thorough assessment of Khan's health; second, reinstating the weekly family visits mandated by the court without delay or bureaucratic bottlenecks; and third, ensuring immediate implementation of the treatment prescribed following the medical assessment.

Notable figures who signed the appeal include captains from both India and England, as well as Australia, West Indies, and New Zealand. Khan served as Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022 but was ousted in a no-confidence vote amid political tensions with Pakistan's military. Since his arrest, Khan and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, have claimed that the corruption charges are politically motivated.

His detention led to nationwide protests in May 2023, which, though largely peaceful, resulted in hundreds of arrests.