Twenty one former International cricketers including Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar have written to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, appealing for medical treatment of former PM and ODI World Cup winning captain Imran Khan. This isn’t the first time that the former international cricketers have come together for their Pakistani counterpart. Earlier in February, a group of 14 former cricketers wrote a similar letter, but this one came after Pakistan allegedly didn’t comply with the Supreme Court’s directions. The appeal was issued on August 23 and it came as the concerns around Khan’s health continue to grow. Recently, he was taken to a specific private hospital after being ordered by the Supreme Court on Tuesday to be examined by physicians, following complaints about his health.
While the former Pakistani cricketer was moved back to prison on Friday following his checkup in Islamabad, where he was deemed “medically fit”, a group of former cricket greats have come forward to plead for Khan’s “humane treatment and proper medical care.” "Dear Prime Minister, six months ago, fourteen former international cricket captains wrote to you and the Pakistani government appealing for humane treatment and proper medical care for Imran Khan,” the letter read.
“We wrote then not as politicians, but as former colleagues and rivals who share a bond forged on the cricket field, one that transcends the borders and disputes that too often divide countries. We write again now, joined by seven further former captains, because of what has reportedly just occurred,” the letter read, a copy of which was accessed by journalist Vikran Gupta.
Former Cricketers Lay 3 Demands in Letter to Pakistan Prime Minister
In their letter to current Pakistan PM, the former cricketers laid down three special demands. These demands are-
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“That the medical board directed by the Supreme Court — including Mr Khan's own doctors — be permitted to complete a full and independent assessment of his health, particularly the reported loss of vision in his right eye.
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That the weekly family visits reinstated by the Court be honoured without interruption or administrative delay.
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That whatever the outcome of that medical assessment, the treatment recommended by it be provided without delay.”
The signatories who have written the letter to Pakistan PM about the 73-year-old include former England captains Michael Atherton, Michael Brearley, Sir Alastair Cook, David Gower, Nasser Hussain and Sir Andrew Strauss. From Australia, there are Allan Border, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Kim Hughes and Steve Waugh. Indians among them are Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar.
The full list includes Michael Atherton, Alex Blackwell, Allan Border, Michael Brearley, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Sir Alastair Cook, Sunil Gavaskar, Lee Germon, Adam Gilchrist, David Gower, Kim Hughes, Nasser Hussain, Sir Clive Lloyd, Kapil Dev, Arjuna Ranatunga, Sir Andrew Strauss, Dilip Vengsarkar, Steve Waugh and John Wright.
