Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera
· collected 2026-08-24 · by Kevin Hand, Anushe Engineer
Twenty-one former cricket captains from around the world have signed a letter urging Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to provide Imran Khan with "humane treatment and proper medical care". The letter comes after Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered Khan, who has been imprisoned for three years, to be transferred to a private hospital, but he was instead sent to a state-run facility. The signatories include cricket legends such as Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, and Clive Lloyd, who claim they are writing "as former colleagues and rivals" rather than politicians. Khan is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest cricketers, but has been imprisoned on various charges since 2021.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-24,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Here is a summary of the news story:
Imran Khan, Pakistan's former prime minister and founder of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has been transferred to a private hospital for medical examination after concerns were raised about his health. The order was made by Pakistan's Supreme Court, which accepted a demand from Khan's party that had been made for months.
Uzair Bhandari, one of Khan's lawyers, said that the court also ordered a medical board to be formed to oversee Khan's treatment, including his sister Dr Uzma Khan and personal physician Dr Faisal Sultan. The next hearing is set for September 16, and Khan will remain in hospital until then.
Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 on corruption-related charges that he claims are politically motivated. His party, PTI, says it is trying to keep him out of politics, while the government denies this.
The transfer to a private hospital was seen as a significant relief for Khan, who has not been allowed to see his family in months. 21 former cricket captains from around the world have written an open letter to Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, urging him to allow an independent assessment of Khan's health and provide him with proper medical care.
Khan's party has condemned what it calls the "continued failure" of authorities at a state-run hospital, where Khan was taken for a heart scan but did not undergo the test.
Written for “Imran Khan Medical Treatment Dispute” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 6 other(s) covering the same event.
Pakistan’s imprisoned former prime minister and cricket captain, Imran Khan, must be given “humane treatment and proper medical care”, urge a group of cricket greats in a letter seen by Al Jazeera and addressed to Pakistan’s current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
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group → imprison → Minister
Twenty-one former captains from around the world have appealed to Sharif’s government to allow an independent assessment of Khan’s health, reinstate his weekly family visits and provide him with the required medical treatment without delay, four signatories of the letter confirmed to Al Jazeera late on Sunday.
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signatories → appeal → Sunday
Khan, 73, has been imprisoned for the past three years on a range of charges.
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Khan → imprison → charges
On Tuesday, Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered local authorities to transfer Khan from Adiala jail to the privately run Shifa International Hospital by midnight on Thursday.
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Court → order → Thursday
However on Saturday, Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), filed a contempt petition against the government after he was sent to a state-run hospital instead of the private facility ordered by the top court, party officials said.
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officials → file → court
Khan is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest-ever all-rounders and arguably Pakistan’s greatest cricketer, who led his nation to its first World Cup win in 1992 and holds the record for most international wins for a Pakistani captain.
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who → regard → captain
Khan’s former cricket adversaries turned friends said the recent events prompted them to pen a letter to Sharif, who replaced the PTI founder as prime minister in April 2022 and again after Pakistan’s last general election in February 2024.
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who → turn → February
The letter, dated August 23, follows similar outreach in February by 14 former international cricket captains who raised concerns over Khan’s deteriorating health and alleged mistreatment during his imprisonment.
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who → date → imprisonment
“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,” said the letter.
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letter → write → countries
“We write again now — joined by seven further former captains — because of what has reportedly just occurred,” read the letter, whose signatories include cricket Hall of Famers Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Clive Lloyd, Allan Border, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, John Wright and David Gower.
uncertain
signatories → write → Gavaskar
No Pakistani names among signatories
Greg Chappell, who shared a friendly bond with Khan following their retirement from cricket, initiated the letter on both occasions.
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who → share → occasions
Lloyd told Al Jazeera on Sunday that he contributed to the letter.
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he → tell → letter
Former England captains David Gower, Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton also confirmed signing it.
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captains → confirm → it
Notably, no former Pakistani cricketers were among the signatories of both letters, although several star players have publicly voiced concerns over Khan’s health in the past.
Gavaskar, Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar are the three Indian players among the 21, while former Sri Lanka captain, Arjuna Ranatunga, is the other South Asian name.
Former Australian women’s team captains Alex Blackwell and Belinda Clark are also on the list of signatories.
The letter praised the “welcome steps” of the Supreme Court ordering Khan’s transfer to a private hospital for medical examination by a board that included personal physicians and his sister, Dr Uzma Khan.
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that → voice → physicians
The signatories requested the government that:
- The medical board directed by the Supreme Court — including 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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board → request → eye
- The weekly family visits reinstated by the court be honoured without interruption or administrative delay.
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visits → reinstate → interruption
- Whatever the outcome of that medical assessment, the treatment recommended by it be provided without delay.
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treatment → recommend → delay
The former cricketers lamented Khan’s short-lived hospital visit.
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cricketers → lament → visit
They reiterated the concerns raised by his family, who said the examination by a state-appointed team and swift return after being declared “medically fit” fell short of what the Supreme Court ordered.
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Court → reiterate → what
“Whatever the legal and political arguments surrounding his case, the basic decency of ensuring a court-ordered medical process is actually completed is not, in our view, a controversial request,” the letter said.
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letter → surround → view
“It is one we believe every nation that plays this game would recognise as fair.”
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that → believe → game
The Pakistan government did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for a comment.
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government → respond → comment
Chappell praises Khan’s charisma and power
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Chappell → praise → charisma
Following the first appeal made to the Pakistani government in February, Greg Chappell wrote and spoke about his bond with Khan and what prompted him to take the lead in writing the letter.
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what → follow → letter
He said that the letter was meant to highlight a human rights issue rather than be a political intervention and admitted being pleasantly surprised at how quickly it came together since everyone was in the same boat.
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everyone → say → boat
“This seems to have had some real impact,” Chappell said as he emphasised the need for the first letter to have “long-lasting impact” rather than fizzle out in the next news cycle.
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letter → seem → cycle
The former Australian captain praised the charisma Khan wielded both on the field as a cricketer and later when he entered politics.
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he → praise → politics
“People were threatened by someone like Imran because of his aura, personal power and charm,” he told the Cricket Et Al podcast in February.
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he → threaten → February
“They were threatened by him and obviously that’s played its part in this.”
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that → threaten → this
