A group of cricketing legends, including India’s Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, along with 14 other former international captains, have signed a formal petition urging the Pakistani government to provide immediate and proper medical care to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The petition was drafted by former Australian captain Greg Chappell and submitted to Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday. The petition comes amid reports that Imran has lost 85 percent of his vision in his right eye due to an untreated infection and alleged negligence in prison.
His family and supporters have reportedly been denied visits, and he is being held in a small cell, referred to as a “death cell,” his son Suleman said in December 2025.
The appeal demands urgent medical attention, detention conditions in accordance with international standards, and fair, transparent access to the legal process without delay.
The petition was signed by a global group of former captains, including Australia’s Chappell, Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Ian Chappell, Kim Hughes, and Belinda Clark; England’s Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Michael Brearley, and David Gower; West Indies and New Zealand’s Clive Lloyd and John Wright; and India’s Gavaskar and Dev.
The signatories emphasized that “when the stumps are drawn, hostility ends” and appealed to the Pakistani government to act responsibly.
No former Pakistan captains signed the petition, although last week several, including Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Shahid Afridi, demanded proper medical care for Imran on social media.
Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, have been in jail since August 2023 after being removed from Pakistan’s leadership in 2022 and facing mounting corruption charges.