Key Takeaways
- Seven former Australian cricket captains have written to the Australian foreign affairs minister.
- The letter expresses humanitarian concerns for Imran Khan, the former Pakistani prime minister.
- The signatories include Allan Border, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Kim Hughes, Mark Taylor, and Steve Waugh.
Seven former Australian cricket captains have penned a letter to the Australian foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, expressing humanitarian concerns over the imprisonment of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The signatories, including Allan Border, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Kim Hughes, Mark Taylor, and Steve Waugh, have stated that they are writing 'not as diplomats or political figures, but as former captains who felt compelled to speak up.'
The letter, according to ESPN Cricinfo, a digital media platform, states that the group makes clear it takes no position on the legal or political case against Mr. Khan and that Pakistan should decide in this regard.
The signatories describe the matter as 'a matter of basic humanity, whatever their politics' and express concern about how anyone in jail is treated.
This development comes less than a month after 21 former international cricket captains, including Michael Atherton, Allan Border, Sunil Gavaskar, Adam Gilchrist, Kapil Dev, and Steve Waugh, had written to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, urging the government to ensure the completion of a Supreme Court-directed medical assessment of Imran Khan and honour orders regarding his family visits.
The signatories said they were joined by seven additional former captains after what they described as recent developments concerning Imran’s medical examination.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has alleged that the government violated a categorical order of the Supreme Court by taking the incarcerated former prime minister to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) instead of Shifa International Hospital for treatment.
The party also said that Imran’s personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan, was also not allowed to examine him during the recent medical checkup.
Meanwhile, PTI founding chairman’s family, political party, and former fellow cricketers have been sounding the alarm over his health in prison.
