New Delhi [India], August 24 (ANI): Former India captain Kapil Dev said the appeal by 22 former international cricket captains to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, seeking proper medical treatment for former Pakistan cricket captain Imran Khan, was motivated by friendship and admiration for his cricketing achievements.
Speaking to reporters, the 1983 World Cup-winning captain stressed that Imran Khan, a former Pakistan prime minister currently in prison, deserves proper medical care and basic facilities, adding that the former cricketers were seeking nothing beyond that.
"I like to support our friend whom we played with and admired for his cricketing skill. We don't know the law of the country; that's fine. But humanity and simply giving facilities to a prisoner, whoever it may be; he was the former Prime Minister of the country and a top cricketer of the world, we want him to get the best treatment as we are asking for. We are not asking for anything else. When you request, you are not asking for a reply," said Kapil Dev.
Notably, the letter to the Pakistan PM was signed by Michael Atherton, Alex Blackwell, Allan Border, Michael Brearley, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Alastair Cook, Michael Gatting, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Lee Germon, Adam Gilchrist, David Gower, Kim Hughes, Nasser Hussain, Clive Lloyd, Arjuna Ranatunga, Andrew Strauss, Dilip Vengsarkar, Steve Waugh and John Wright.
"Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered that Imran Khan be transferred to hospital for examination by a medical board that was to include his own personal physicians and his sister, Dr Uzma Khan," the letter says, as quoted by Cricinfo.
"The Court also reinstated weekly family visits. These were very welcome steps. Concerningly, Mr Khan's hospital stay lasted only a few hours. He was examined by a state-appointed team rather than the board the Court had directed, declared "medically fit," and returned to Adiala Jail before that board could complete its work," it added.
According to Cricinfo, the letter outlined three specific requests. The former captains called for the medical board directed by the Supreme Court, including Imran Khan's personal doctors, to be allowed to conduct a complete and independent assessment of his health, particularly regarding the reported loss of vision in his right eye.
The letter also urged authorities to ensure that the weekly family visits reinstated by the court take place without any interruption or administrative delays, and requested that any treatment recommended after the medical assessment be provided without delay.
Earlier in February this year, 14 former international captains had written a letter expressing concern over Imran Khan's health after reports of an eye-related issue emerged. Khan's family had alleged that the former Pakistan captain suffered severe vision loss in one eye due to a lack of medical attention during his imprisonment, according to Cricinfo.
The signatories, who said they were writing "not as politicians, but as former colleagues and rivals who share a bond forged on the cricket field," clarified that their appeal was not intended to interfere in Pakistan's internal legal matters.
Khan, who served as Pakistan's prime minister from 2018 to 2022, was sentenced to a slew of prison sentences after his removal from the top office. (ANI)
"We want him to get best treatment": Kapil Dev on letter to Pakistan PM over "friend" Imran Khan's health
