21 ex-cricket captains seek medical treatment for Imran Khan

On August 23, 2026, twenty-one former international cricket captains publicly appealed to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to ensure proper medical treatment and welfare for jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The letter, signed by cricket luminaries from countries including England, Australia, India, and Sri Lanka, calls for the completion of a court-ordered independent medical examination for Khan, who has been imprisoned since August 2023.

The appeal was prompted by events earlier this week. Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered that Khan be transferred from prison to a private hospital for assessment by a specific medical board that was to include his personal physicians. According to the signatories, this was a welcome step to address reports that Khan, 73, had suffered significant vision loss in his right eye. However, the former captains noted that Khan's hospital stay was brief. He was taken to the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Thursday night instead, examined by a state-appointed team rather than the court-directed board, declared medically fit, and returned to Adiala Jail. Khan's family and party have accused the government of...