Legendary West Indian batter Brian Lara became the latest sporting personality to call for independent medical care for imprisoned Pakistan cricketer and politician Imran Khan.
The 73-year-old World Cup-winning captain has been in jail since 2023 on charges of corruption.
His sons, Sulaiman and Kasim, have repeatedly expressed fears about his safety, saying attempts are being made to kill him in jail, alongside alleging medical negligence.
“Imran Khan and I only crossed paths on the field a handful of times, but the respect I have for him was instant and lasting,” Lara wrote in a post on his social media.
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“I am struggling to understand how someone who was a beacon of hope, pride and inspiration for his country, at the height of his sporting career, could now find himself in a situation where he is not being cared for and treated with the compassion and dignity he deserves.
“I stand with my fellow former captains in asking that he receive proper, independent medical care and the dignity every human bneing deserves.
“This isn’t politics. It’s basic humanity for a legend of our game.”
The renewed global push for humanitarian consideration comes after a collective statement signed by 21 former cricket captains from different countries made an official appeal to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, requesting ‘humane treatment and proper medical care for Imran.
The appeal from the captains’ community came after Imran’s court-mandated medical check-up was interfered with by the Pakistan government.
The letter was signed by the following cricketers: 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, Nikhanj Deshamanya, Arjuna Ranatunga, Andrew Strauss, Dilip Vengsarkar, Stephen Waugh, John Wright.
This call has since found support from decorated Australian captain Pat Cummins, perhaps the first contemporary voice to weigh in on the issue.
“Adding my support here to GC (Greg Chappell) and the other former international captains. I hope the court ordered medical assessment be allowed to run its course, and that family visits continue.
“I hope Imran Khan is treated with the dignity anyone deserves,” Cummins posted on ‘X’ quoting a short clip of Chappell in which he is seen expressing his own concerns about Imran’s well being.
This is not the first such attempt. In February this year, 14 captains, many from the group above, petitioned the Pakistan Government in Imran’s support.
The signatories were alarmed by reports of a sharp deterioration in the former Pakistan Prime Minister’s vision while incarcerated, and by the conditions of his detention over the past two and a half years.
Imran’s detention has cast a shadow over Pakistan’s recent Test tour of England, despite a host of selection controversies and poor performances putting the setup in the hot seat. His sons appeared in an interview on Sky Sports, alleging the Pakistan government of treating their father poorly in prison and directly flouting a Supreme Court order. They claimed that the authorities were not allowing Imran’s personal doctor access to him, to treat a reported loss of vision in one eye.
Reports then suggested that the Pakistan Cricket Board considered boycotting the series midway but continued on pacification from the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Javed Miandad later became the first Pakistan cricketer to speak up for Imran.
Former Pakistan international Javed Miandad broke down during an interview while urging the Pakistan authorities to treat the imprisoned former Prime Minister and cricketer Imran Khan more humanely.
Imran, who led Pakistan to the World Cup in 1992, was in news earlier this week after his sons appeared in an interview on Sky Sports, alleging the Pakistan government of treating their father poorly in prison and directly flouting a Supreme Court order. They claimed that the authorities were not allowing Imran’s personal doctor access to him, to treat a reported loss of vision in one eye.
According to news reports, the Pakistan Cricket Board briefly pondered boycotting the second Test midway after the interview was aired but continued after being requested by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Miandad now becomes the first Pakistan cricketer to openly speak out in favour of Imran.
“I would just urge Pakistan to resolve the issue. He’s also someone’s son. I often think about him, how would he be coping in prison,” Miandad said while holding back his tears on a YouTube channel.
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“We were close when we were playing. We used to play County together, we used to understand each other. He took Pakistan to great heights, to neglect him like this is unfair. What is wrong is wrong. What will happen if he is released? Will he eat us alive? I pray to Allah that this matter is resolved as soon as possible. I know Imran, he’s an honest man. He was never corrupt,” he added.
In 2024, Imran was handed a 10-year jail term for leaking state secrets. That sentence came 10 days before the country’s general elections that year.
The case pertains to allegations that Imran had made public contents of a secret cable sent by the country’s ambassador in Washington to the government in Islamabad.
He was previously sentenced to three years in a corruption case. While his jail term was suspended as he challenged the corruption conviction, it had already ruled him out of the country’s elections. He has been fighting dozens of cases since he was ousted from power in a parliamentary vote of no confidence in 2022. He maintained then that the cable was proof of a conspiracy by the Pakistani military and U.S. government to topple his government in 2022 after he visited Moscow just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Washington and the Pakistan military denied the accusations. The former prime minister has previously said the contents of the cable appeared in the media from other sources.
Published on Sep 05, 2026
