International Pressure Builds Over Imran Khan’s Treatment as Cricket Legends Renew Appeal to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD — International attention is again turning toward imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan after a group of prominent former cricket captains urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government to ensure that Khan receives proper medical treatment and access to his family.

The appeal was signed by more than 20 former international captains, including Indian greats Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev and Australian cricket figures Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Allan Border and Steve Waugh. The group said its intervention was humanitarian rather than political, reflecting Khan’s decades-long connection to international cricket before he entered politics.

Khan, 73, captained Pakistan to its historic 1992 Cricket World Cup championship before eventually founding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and serving as prime minister from 2018 until his removal from office in 2022.

Concern over his condition has intensified following a dispute over how Pakistani authorities implemented a Supreme Court order concerning his medical examination. The former captains said the court had called for Khan to be examined by a medical board that included his personal physicians, but questioned whether the examination ultimately carried out satisfied those requirements.

Pakistan’s government strongly rejects allegations that Khan is being denied appropriate care. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Khan underwent examinations by specialists including an ophthalmologist, cardiologist and physician and was found medically fit. Officials have also maintained that security considerations affected arrangements surrounding his hospital treatment.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party disputes that account and is continuing its legal campaign. On Tuesday, his sister Uzma Khan resubmitted a contempt petition to Pakistan’s Supreme Court alleging that authorities failed to comply fully with the court’s August 18 instructions concerning his transfer and medical examination. She also requested an earlier hearing.

The controversy also reached Pakistan’s Senate on Tuesday, where government and opposition lawmakers clashed over Khan’s medical treatment. Separately, another of Khan’s sisters, Noreen Niazi, was allowed to meet him at Adiala Jail for approximately 45 minutes, marking her second consecutive weekly visit.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan captain and former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ramiz Raja publicly addressed Khan’s situation Tuesday, describing the prolonged imprisonment as difficult for the former cricket star. His comments followed the international captains’ renewed intervention and added another prominent Pakistani cricket voice to the discussion.

The dispute is increasingly moving beyond Pakistan’s domestic political arena. Khan’s sons have also publicly expressed fears about their father’s condition, while international lawyers and supporters have called for independent medical access. Pakistani authorities reject accusations of mistreatment and maintain that Khan receives medical care, family and legal visits, and privileges consistent with his status as a prisoner.

Khan has been incarcerated since 2023 and faces multiple convictions and legal proceedings. His supporters maintain that the cases against him are politically motivated, while the Pakistani government says his imprisonment results from judicial proceedings rather than political persecution.

The intervention by cricket figures from India, Australia, England, the West Indies and New Zealand gives the controversy an unusual international dimension. For millions who knew Khan first as one of cricket’s most celebrated captains, the dispute over his treatment has transformed what was largely a Pakistani political battle into an issue attracting growing attention well beyond the country’s borders.

For now, the immediate focus is shifting back to Pakistan’s Supreme Court, where Khan’s family and political allies are seeking enforcement of the medical arrangements they say the court previously ordered.