Indian cricket legend crosses India-Pakistan divide to speak up for his ‘friend’ Imran Khan

Arpan RaiTue, August 25, 2026 at 10:14 AM UTC

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Renowned Indian cricketer Kapil Dev has rallied behind his former colleague and “friend” Imran Khan and asked the Pakistani government to grant him access to proper medical treatment on humanitarian grounds.

The fresh appeal from Khan’s former Indian colleague came a day after 21 international cricketing legends renewed their appeal to Pakistan to provide adequate medical treatment for the jailed former prime minister.

The letter to Pakistan prime minister Shahbaz Sharif said they were concerned that Khan’s latest hospital visit lasted only a few hours.

Dev and Khan are known for leading their nations – India and Pakistan – to win the international cricket World Cup in 1983 and 1992 respectively. Even though the bilateral ties between the two countries soured in the wake of a near-war conflict in April 2025, Dev said his appeal was for a friend he admired.

“I would like to support my friend, against whom we played and admired his cricketing skill. We don’t know the law of the country, that’s fine. But humanity and simple facilities should be given to a prisoner, whoever he may be,” Dev said on Monday.

“And he was a former prime minister of the country and a top cricketer of the world.

“We want he (Khan) should get the best treatment, that’s what we are asking for. We are not asking for anything else, we are not asking for any replies, we are requesting,” he said.

India all rounder Kapil Dev holds aloft the trophy on the balcony after the 1983 Cricket World Cup final at Lords (Hulton Archive)

The former cricket captains said their bond with Khan transcended borders and that the former prime minister should be treated properly for his medical conditions, especially the reported loss of vision in his right eye.

“Imran Khan is 73 years old and has now spent more than three years in custody. 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,” they said.

The appeal letter has been undersigned by England's Michael Atherton, Michael Brearley, Nasser Hussain, Andrew Strauss and David Gower, India's Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar, and Australia's Belinda Clark, Adam Gilchrist, Steve Waugh and Kim Hughes. “It is one we believe every nation that plays this game would recognise as fair,” they said.

The repeated request from cricketers has added international scrutiny on the handling of Khan’s case by the Pakistani authorities. Khan’s family alleges mishandling of his medical condition.

However, the appeals from across the border by Khan’s former cricket colleagues have also grown since February this year, when the cricket captains wrote their first letter to the Pakistan government.

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Pakistani men sit near a poster of Pakistan's cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan in Islamabad (AFP via Getty Images)

In an interview last month, Dev said he felt really sad about the situation Khan was facing. He said it was not the right way for Pakistan to treat a former prime minister.

"A lot, a lot. I don't know what he did, was it right or wrong,” he said, answering a question on whether he feels upset at the way Khan is being treated.

“Yes sure, I feel that a big player can also make a big mistake. A prime minister should get the right treatment. That was my plea throughout. I don't know about the law, what action they have taken. I don't know anything but what is known for sure is that such a big cricketer has been there for the country and he has been a PM also. Some ethics have to be there – treatment should be given properly,” he said.

Dev also recounted his camaraderie with Khan in the 1980s and 1990s when the two were giants in the international cricket world.

“...whenever we needed to sit down and talk, we would. The advantage was that he is a Punjabi so it would be easy for us to communicate. But otherwise, we could not even match his lifestyle – throughout his lifestyle was different,” Dev had said, referring to Khan’s England county cup stint for Worcestershire and Sussex in the 1970s, and his affluent lifestyle.

The cricketer-turned-politician was slapped with dozens of cases related to alleged corruption, sale of state gifts, and unlawful marriage. Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party denounce these cases as politically motivated.

Khan’s lawyers and family have accused the Sharif government of defying a court order that required him to be examined at the private Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad.

Although several of his convictions have been suspended or overturned, he remains incarcerated pending trial in some cases and appeals in others.

His sons, Kasim and Sulaiman Isa Khan, are set to address a press conference on Tuesday, stating that their father was not examined by his personal doctor Faisal Sultan on Thursday last week in continued denial of medical care to the former leader.

“The regime sent a decoy convoy from the jail to Shifa to make it appear like Khan had been moved there. Dr Sultan had been waiting for Khan at Shifa so he never had the opportunity to examine Khan,” his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said in a statement on Tuesday.

Even though the authorities say the former prime minister’s health is improving, it is not verified by international experts who can confirm that his stay in the prison has not damaged his health.

The UN special rapporteur on torture has spoken out against the treatment against Khan three times in 2025, stating that his solitary confinement and inhumane detention conditions must end

His sister Uzma Khan, who was present during the examination last week, confirmed that Khan was stable and fit, but she added that the ex-prime minister repeatedly said he was being tortured in prison.

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Source: “AOL Sports”