Imran Khan, along with his wife have been in jail since August 2023.
Recently, Imran Khan, who is jailed in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, was reportedly transferred to an Islamabad hospital in the middle of the night for a check-up and care. He was then rapidly returned to prison on Friday, August 21.
The government abruptly returned him to custody after declaring him "medically fit" in a matter of hours, despite the Supreme Court of Pakistan having ordered a thorough hospital stay lasting until mid-September for serious health evaluations, including a critical eye condition.
According to accounts, the exceptional, military-style logistics used by Pakistani authorities to carry out this extremely delicate operation involved a number of crucial components.
Authorities deployed 800 security personnel, including anti-terrorist squads and police forces, to secure the route between Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Reacting to the news, the former cricket captains have written an appeal to the Pakistan PM to ensure Imran Khan, 73, receives proper medical care and is treated in a humane way.
The appeal letter had three major points. One was that Imran Khan’s personal doctors should be allowed to examine and treat him, as per the Supreme Court-suggested medical board. They should treat him for all ailments, particularly the reported loss of vision in his right eye.
The second request was that the weekly family visits reinstated by the court be honoured without interruption or administrative delay. The third main point was that whatever the outcome of that medical assessment, the treatment recommended by it should be provided without delay.
“Six months ago, fourteen former international cricket captains wrote to you and the Pakistani government appealing for humane treatment and proper medical care for Imran Khan. We wrote then not as politicians but as former colleagues and rivals who share a bond forged on the cricket field – one that transcends the borders and disputes that too often divide countries. We write again now — joined by seven further former captains — because of what has reportedly just occurred.
Imran Khan is 73 years old and has now spent more than three years in custody. Whatever the legal and political arguments surrounding his case, the basic decency of ensuring a court-ordered medical process is actually completed is not, in our view, a controversial request. It is one we believe every nation that plays this game would recognise as fair. We hope this matter can be resolved expeditiously and with the dignity Mr Imran Khan deserves,” the appeal read as per Sportstar.
The list of captains who co-signed the appeal
Michael Atherton, Alex Blackwell, Allan Border, Michael Brearley, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Sir Alastair Cook, Sunil Gavaskar, Lee Germon, Adam Gilchrist, David Gower, Kim Hughes, Nasser Hussain, Sir Clive Lloyd, Kapil Dev, Nikhanj Deshamanya, Arjuna Ranatunga, Sir Andrew Strauss, Dilip Vengsarkar, Stephen Waugh, John Wright.