(Clock-wise from left) Former premier and PTI founder Imran Khan, India’s Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Australia’s Steve Waugh, and England’s Nasser Hussain. — AFP/Reuters/FileAustralia, England ex-skippers amongst others signal petition.Petition says reviews regarding Khan’s well being “alarming”.Urges govt for dignified therapy, satisfactory medical care.
Indian cricket greats Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev joined a dozen different former worldwide captains on Tuesday in demanding higher jail therapy for “one of the finest all-rounders” of the sport, Imran Khan, the previous prime minister of Pakistan.
Cricketer-turned-politician Khan, 73, has been in jail since August 2023, convicted in a string of instances that he says have been politically pushed following his ouster in a 2022 parliamentary vote.
Khan’s lawyer advised the Supreme Court docket final week that the ex-cricketer had misplaced a major quantity of imaginative and prescient in his proper eye whereas in custody.
A medical board mentioned on Monday that the swelling had diminished after therapy and his imaginative and prescient had improved.
Regardless of India’s fraught relations with Pakistan, together with navy battle final yr, former India captains Gavaskar and Kapil signed a petition expressing “deep concern” about Khan’s therapy and jail situations.
“Many of us competed against him, shared the field with him, or grew up idolising his all-round brilliance, charisma, and competitive spirit,” they mentioned within the petition.
“Current reviews regarding his well being — notably the alarming deterioration of his imaginative and prescient whereas in custody — and the situations of his imprisonment over the previous two and a half years have triggered us profound concern.
— theage.com.au
“As fellow cricketers who understand the values of fair play, honour, and respect that transcend the boundary rope, we believe that a person of Imran Khan’s stature deserves to be treated with the dignity and basic human consideration befitting a former national leader and a global sporting icon.”
Former Australia captain Greg Chappell, his brother Ian Chappell and compatriots Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Belinda Clark and Kim Hughes have signed the petition.
England’s Mike Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Mike Brearley and David Gower have additionally signed, alongside Clive Lloyd from the West Indies and John Wright from New Zealand.
The cricket greats “respectfully” urged the Pakistan authorities to make sure quick and satisfactory medical consideration, dignified therapy, and unhindered entry to authorized processes for Khan.
“Our shared history on the field reminds us that rivalry ends when the stumps are drawn — and respect endures. Imran Khan embodied that spirit throughout his career.”
The attraction follows calls from former Pakistan captains Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Ramiz Raja, who urged authorities to make sure their ex-teammate receives pressing medical care.
Khan performed 88 checks and 175 one-day internationals for Pakistan between 1971-1992 and captained them to their solely ODI World Cup victory in 1992.
