Michael Atherton revealed the reason behind him and 21 other former international cricket captains signing a request letter to Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, asking him to ensure that former Pakistan PM and cricket captain Imran Khan should be given proper medical care and treated in a humanitarian way.
This comes after Imran Khan’s health is reportedly deteriorating by the day. Khan has been in prison since 2023 on corruption charges. Several of his sympathizers, who live abroad, have claimed that he is not treated well in jail and has no access to medical care. Earlier this year, there were reports that Khan had lost sight in one of his eyes.
Following that, a group of former cricket players published a petition asking for the former all-rounder, who helped Pakistan win the 1992 World Cup, to receive compassionate treatment.
Following allegations that Imran was transferred to a hospital on a top-court order but wasn't properly examined, 21 former cricket players submitted another letter to Pakistani authorities last week, urging that he should receive the right care.
Those 21 cricket players included former England captains Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain. Atherton gave an explanation for his decision to join the group that petitioned Pakistani authorities. There was an attempt "to 'airbrush Imran almost out of existence," he disclosed, indicating that there was more to the appeal.
“Nass [Nasser Hussain] and I were among 21 former captains who sent a second letter yesterday, a humanitarian appeal for Imran Khan to get the requisite level of treatment. But I suppose the basic theme was the way the state has tried to airbrush Imran almost out of existence, which is increasingly difficult to do in a social media age," Atherton said on a Sky Sports cricket podcast in the company of Hussain.
This letter from 21 former international cricket captains, including India’s Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, came after Imran Khan, who is imprisoned in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail, was reportedly taken to an Islamabad hospital in the middle of the night for medical examination and treatment. He was likewise quickly returned to prison on Friday, August 21.
The government swiftly returned him to detention after ruling him "medically fit" in a couple of hours, despite the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordering a lengthy hospital stay until mid-September for significant health examinations, including a critical eye problem.
According to sources, Pakistani authorities employed outstanding military-style logistics to carry out this incredibly sensitive operation, which included a number of critical components.
Authorities mobilized 800 security personnel, including anti-terrorist teams and police, to protect the highway between Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
