‘I fear he’ll die in jail’: Cricket legends plead for action on Imran Khan detention

Seven former Australian cricket captains have urged Foreign Minister Penny Wong to raise concerns with the Pakistani government about the treatment former prime minister and cricketing legend Imran Khan, fearing he will die in detention.

Greg Chappell, who played 87 Test matches for Australia, said he was urgently seeking a meeting with Wong to discuss Khan’s situation.

Khan, who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, has been jailed since 2023 and was last year sentenced to 14 years in prison after a corruption conviction.

Khan, 73, has faced more than 100 legal cases since losing power in a vote of no confidence, including charges of bribery, leaking state secrets and illegally selling state gifts.

Most of the convictions have been overturned or suspended, and Khan has denied all the accusations. His party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, has claimed they were politically motivated.

“Mr Khan led Pakistan to its only World Cup title. He also led his country as prime minister,” Chappell and his fellow former captains, including three former Australians of the year, wrote in a letter sent to Wong on Tuesday.

“Australians hold him in great regard — as a cricketer whose skill and leadership left a lasting mark on the game we share, and as someone who has helped improve the lives of Pakistanis by building cancer hospitals.”

Allan Border, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Kim Hughes, Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh also signed the letter to Wong.

“We take no position on the legal or political case against him. That is Pakistan’s business. But the treatment of any person in detention is a matter of basic humanity, whatever their politics,” they wrote.

“We would be grateful if the Australian Government could raise this directly with the relevant Pakistani authorities.”

Wong’s office was approached for comment.

Wong met Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in July.

“I thanked him for Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic efforts to promote dialogue and regional stability,” Wong said in a social media post.

Fourteen former international cricket captains from five Test teams appealed to the Pakistan government earlier this year for better prison treatment for Imran Khan.

Greg Chappell said Khan’s health had deteriorated significantly since his long period in solitary confinement, and that he had lost most of his sight in one eye.

“My biggest fear is that he will die in jail,” he said.

“I am hoping Australia can raise this at a government-to-government level to try to improve his condition.

“This is a humanitarian issue, not a legal or political one.”

Australian Test skipper Pat Cummins last month joined calls for Khan to receive urgent medical care.

“I hope Imran Khan is treated with the dignity anyone deserves,” Cummins said in social media post.

Greens foreign affairs spokesman David Shoebridge said: “Many in the Pakistan Australian community are rightly concerned about the treatment of Imran Khan and asking why Australia is doing so little in response.

“Many Australians have real affection for Imran Khan, we saw him as a graceful leader in the cricket world and those who have followed his career since have seen him fighting for democratic values.

“For months I have been asking the Australian Government to make representations to the Pakistan Government and direct the Australian High Commission to seek a welfare check on Khan. This is the minimum we should expect in the situation.”

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has rejected allegations that Khan has been subjected “to punitive solitary confinement, cruelty or deprivation”.

“His imprisonment follows convictions by courts of competent jurisdiction after judicial proceedings, and he remains entitled to pursue all remedies available to him under Pakistani laws,” the statement said.

The ministry also said “the convicted prisoner is also permitted home-cooked food, exercise equipment and is provided appropriate dietary facilities”.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.