In Humanitarian Plea For Imran Khan, Seven Former Australia Cricket Team Captains Write to Foreign Minister
New Delhi: In a letter written to Australian minister for foreign affairs Penny Wong, seven former cricket captains from the country have raised humanitarian concerns over the continued detention of former Pakistan prime minister and world cup winning captain Imran Khan, reported ESPN.
The signatories to the letter are Allan Border, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Kim Hughes, Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh.
The former Australian cricket team captains have clarified that clarified that they are writing "not as diplomats or political figures, but as former captains who felt compelled to speak up".
The former cricketers have also clarified that they are not taking any position on the legal or political case against Khan, and have described that as a matter for Pakistan alone.
They have said that their concern is the treatment of any person in detention, calling it "a matter of basic humanity, whatever their politics".
The letter added that Khan’s sons and sisters have for months publicly raised concerns over his health and treatment in detention, including limited medical care, restricted family contact, and minimal access to legal counsel.
Greg Chappell, one of the signatories of the letter, also requested a meeting with foreign minister Wong last month to discuss the matter on behalf of the group but hasn't received a response, reported ESPN.
Earlier, 14 former international cricket captains including Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar had voiced serious concern about the health of Khan. In an open letter, they had appealed to the Pakistan government to provide “immediate, adequate and ongoing medical attention from qualified specialists” to Khan and ensure “humane and dignified conditions of detention in line with international standards”.
The intervention had followed claims by Khan’s family and lawyer that he has lost 85% of sight in his right eye due to an untreated condition while in prison. Moreover, the allegations of inadequate medical care provided to Khan in Pakistan’s Adiala Jail have triggered anxiety within the country and among members of the international cricket fraternity.
Khan, who headed Pakistan’s government from 2018 to 2022, is serving multiple prison terms – of 10, 14 and 17 years – on the charges of corruption, inciting violence, sedition, among others. He and his supporters describe the cases as politically driven. Before the 2024 general elections in Pakistan, he was handed an additional seven-year term related to his marriage. That ruling drew widespread criticism and was later overturned.
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