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14 world cricket captains unite for Imran Khan’s inhumane treatment—No Pakistani among them

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In a remarkable show of cross‑border solidarity, fourteen legendary international cricket captains—including India’s Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, Australia’s Greg Chappell, England’s David Gower and Nasser Hussain, and West Indies’ Sir Clive Lloyd—have signed a formal appeal to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, urging fair and humane treatment for Imran Khan.

The petition highlights Imran’s deteriorating health in custody, including reported vision loss, and calls for immediate medical care, dignified detention conditions, and transparent legal access. The signatories stress that their plea is rooted in sportsmanship and common humanity, transcending political divides and traditional rivalries.

What is striking, however, is that not a single Pakistani captain is among the signatories. The appeal comes entirely from international voices, underscoring how Imran Khan’s stature as a global cricketing icon has moved legends across borders to speak up—even as his own country’s former captains remain silent.

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Pakistani players have appealed too but directly.

Most dictatorial regimes are concerned with how they look to the outside world. Having respected cricketers from abroad write this letter is a good tactic to try and apply pressure on the regime to act humanely.

But who wrote the article in the OP? It seems copy and paste from Indian media.
 
Varun said:
Both Gavaskar and Kapil were from Imran Khan's era. But that shouldn't stop more recent cricketers from participating too.
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They have tremendous respect in Pakistan and are writing in the capacity of friends and colleagues. I think it makes the point more strongly than a random impersonal list.

Thanks to them both. Imran has made some statements that could be perceived as anti India but these two overlooked at that and focussed on the humanitarian issue.
 
DeadlyVenom said:
They have tremendous respect in Pakistan and are writing in the capacity of friends and colleagues. I think it makes the point more strongly than a random impersonal list.

Thanks to them both. Imran has made some statements that could be perceived as anti India but these two overlooked at that and focussed on the humanitarian issue.
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Imran Khan during his playing career was very positive about India and was all for opening relations. But after he became PM he found a very hostile govt in India with the BJP and that soured relations. Obviously on a personal level he still had very good relations with Indian former players from his own era.
 
Should have been more including current captains but decency shown by these 14 ex captains who know how special of a skipper IK was.

Unfortunately this means nothing to the regime , they have little worry seen as thieves and butchers but only care to stay in power in order to loot more Pakistani money.
 
DeadlyVenom said:
Pakistani players have appealed too but directly.

Most dictatorial regimes are concerned with how they look to the outside world. Having respected cricketers from abroad write this letter is a good tactic to try and apply pressure on the regime to act humanely.

But who wrote the article in the OP? It seems copy and paste from Indian media.
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That's a great point. High profile visibility in cricket world will put some pressure.
 
It would be great if all current captains do one letter as well. I guess these folks were IK's friend as well so connection is at a different level.
 
DeadlyVenom said:
They have tremendous respect in Pakistan and are writing in the capacity of friends and colleagues. I think it makes the point more strongly than a random impersonal list.

Thanks to them both. Imran has made some statements that could be perceived as anti India but these two overlooked at that and focussed on the humanitarian issue.
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Any statement made as PM are forgiven. We are a democracy and understand public pressure on elected leaders to act tough.
 
Buffet said:
It would be great if all current captains do one letter as well. I guess these folks were IK's friend as well so connection is at a different level.
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It’s a tight rope as this can also be considered as interference in one country’s internal politics.

This is why they didn’t go overboard with this and kept it strictly to 14 men.
They are wise men and they know what they’re doing.
 
Cant blame Pak cricketers not being on this list. Unlike others, they have to stay and live in Pak and so are exposed to threats from the ruling a. So best to stay neutral and not risk anything.
 
deltexas said:
Cant blame Pak cricketers not being on this list. Unlike others, they have to stay and live in Pak and so are exposed to threats from the ruling a. So best to stay neutral and not risk anything.
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Pretty much… what’s happening with IK is incredibly sad. Being treated like a criminal robbed or assaulted.

However it’s easy to show support sitting outside of Pak, easy to ask for protests sitting outside of Pak, the current establishment is known to clamp down hard if you speak against them. If IK can be seized from his family and treated like this, every other celeb or sportsman in Pak knows it can be done to them too.

Pakistan is a feudal region, the type that was common in the early 1000s in China and the like.
 
Suleiman said:
Pretty much… what’s happening with IK incredibly sad. Being treated like a criminal robbed or assaulted.

However it’s easy to show support sitting outside of Pak, easy to ask for protests sitting outside of Pak, the current establishment is known to clamp down hard if you speak against them. If IK can be seized from his family and treated like this, every other celeb or sportsman in Pak knows it can be done to them too.
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Bro every major Pak cricketer has voiced their opinion before this letter. In fact there may have been a link between Wasim and Atherton and setting up this initiative.

No need to believe this Indian propaganda that no Pakistani players are speaking out

https://twitter.com/x/status/2022624561255301288
 
DeadlyVenom said:
Bro every major Pak cricketer has voiced their opinion before this letter. In fact there may have been a link between Wasim and Atherton and setting up this initiative.

No need to believe this Indian propaganda that no Pakistani players are speaking out

https://twitter.com/x/status/2022624561255301288
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That’s the most they can do, and I’m fine with it.

People in the other threads are expecting these Pak sportsmen, celebs or common civilians to come out guns blazing and name and shame the military and whatnot, as if they wouldn’t see repercussions if they go to that length.

Some other poster said “break a few eggs to make an omelette” as in the civilians should now risk their life to overthrow the establishment.

Again, easy to say when sitting outside Pak.

The sportsmen and celebs obviousky love IK, but expecting them to come out guns blazing with hostile and “seeing red” statements knowing what could happen… don’t think we should expect that if we’ve never set foot in a conflict ourselves. Wasim is going nowhere near that level that I’ve seen some people expecting our sportsmen too, and ofc that is an incredible risk we can’t look down on him for not taking.

At least he’s showing concern and that’s good
 
Why are Indians involved ?..

Another BCCI proxy masterstroke
Padma bushans looking for another stick to beat Pakistan with.

Athers could've put out a tweet!
 
SpiritOf1903 said:
Why are Indians involved ?..

Another BCCI proxy masterstroke
Padma bushans looking for another stick to beat Pakistan with.

Athers could've put out a tweet!
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Indians are involved because Pakistanis like you are rejoicing at the inhumane treatment being given to a hero of the nation.
 
rpant_gabba said:
why? Why should any give a crap about IK? he has nothing but hatred towards india and hindus. he made his bed weithe establishment in 2018.

These are his rewards. he should enjoy them.
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The establishment did not want him to be PM in 2018. The then army chief Bajwa was meeting Shahbaz Sharif before the elections and deciding his cabinet. The result transmission system (RTS) was stopped and PTI seats reduced by ~30. PTI and IK were so popular and the establishment was not so openly shameless as in 2024 otherwise they would have changed the result in 2018 as well.

Also PML-N, PPP leaders are on record the establishment were in contacts with them as early as 2019 to bring down the PTI government.


So how was IK in bed with the establishment when the dogs were constantly trying to stop him?
 
KingKhanWC said:
Should have been more including current captains but decency shown by these 14 ex captains who know how special of a skipper IK was.

Unfortunately this means nothing to the regime , they have little worry seen as thieves and butchers but only care to stay in power in order to loot more Pakistani money.
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Thats exactly what they are!
 
Syed1 said:
Indians are involved because Pakistanis like you are rejoicing at the inhumane treatment being given to a hero of the nation.
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Who's rejoicing?. You don't find it weird they could usually care less now concerning for them?

They literally got him ostracized for meeting Putin
 
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rpant_gabba said:
why? Why should any give a crap about IK? he has nothing but hatred towards india and hindus. he made his bed weithe establishment in 2018.

These are his rewards. he should enjoy them.
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His country is a rival to India but i don’t think he has shown hatred towards Hindus..

IK had good relations with everyone on the list that signed as a co cricketer..

Indo-Pak relations are extremely complex and can’t be viewed through one set of lens at all, heck we are on Pakistani forum making profit for Pakistanis, BCCI allowing ICT to play has show that government doesn’t have an issue when playing them.. so why would Sunny and Kapil who were close to IK not sign a damn letter?

IK has 100 issues but this letter is a good gesture because Intl media has completely ignored this situation.
 
SpiritOf1903 said:
Who's rejoicing simpleton?. You don't find it weird they could usually care less now concerning for them?

They literally got him ostracized for meeting Putin
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Majority Indians don’t care.. IK had friendship with those cricketers, there are other names on the list too
 
Disqualification from politics would have been sufficient. Imran at the age of 73 should not be in jail no one should be, for that matter. It's heart breaking, be humane.
 
RexRex said:
Does he ? Criticising Modi/RSS does not equate to hating India and hindus. What a paindoo take.
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This is a wet behind the ears take. his attitude towards india has been consistent from the his teenage years long before BJP was a thing.
 
Major said:
You guys do know this means nothing? Its just symbolic
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Yeah at most it's one of those auxiliary things that can help if other stuff is already in motion.

As things stand, Asim or Mohsin aren't going to hold up this letter and say "This does it! It's time to release him."
 
Varun said:
Yeah at most it's one of those auxiliary things that can help if other stuff is already in motion.

As things stand, Asim or Mohsin aren't going to hold up this letter and say "This does it! It's time to release him."
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International pressure means something.
Pakistanb is a cricket crazy nation and here you have representatives from major cricketing nations calling for proper treatment. This is a matter of public embarrassment now for the establishment.
 
Bhaijaan said:
International pressure means something.
Pakistanb is a cricket crazy nation and here you have representatives from major cricketing nations calling for proper treatment. This is a matter of public embarrassment now for the establishment.
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This is not international pressure. The likes of Atherton and Hussein and Brearley have zero charisma, were average cricket players, and can barely influence a lemonade stand in their English shires.
 
Bhaijaan said:
International pressure means something.
Pakistanb is a cricket crazy nation and here you have representatives from major cricketing nations calling for proper treatment. This is a matter of public embarrassment now for the establishment.
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Lol you are underestimating how shameless our faujis are. They have been caught with their pants down many times (literally and figuratively) but has had no impact.
 
RexRex said:
Do elaborate .. did I miss something from his past that you're aware of ?
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The first documented case of him and PCB acting up is the early 90's boycott of india over babri masjid destruction and his rants a PM are well documented.

the stuff in the 70's and 80's had to be witnessed as there was not as much journalist documentation of his acts.

He never passed up an opportunity to hurt India. He can eat **** and die for all I care.
 
Varun said:
This is not international pressure. The likes of Atherton and Hussein and Brearley have zero charisma, were average cricket players, and can barely influence a lemonade stand in their English shires.
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Impact isn’t always the strike of a hammer.
 
rpant_gabba said:
The first documented case of him and PCB acting up is the early 90's boycott of india over babri masjid destruction and his rants a PM are well documented.

the stuff in the 70's and 80's had to be witnessed as there was not as much journalist documentation of his acts.

He never passed up an opportunity to hurt India. He can eat **** and die for all I care.
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So .. you have absolutely nothing to prove he is an India hater. All of Imran's rants were directed at Advani/Modi/RSS/Hindutva - which many indians themselves don't like.

For someone who is supposedly an athiest, you get very touchy when rss/hindutva is criticised. :unsure:
 
Varun said:
Yeah at most it's one of those auxiliary things that can help if other stuff is already in motion.

As things stand, Asim or Mohsin aren't going to hold up this letter and say "This does it! It's time to release him."
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Whether it works or not, this is a well-crafted thoughtful appeal.

They haven't gone overboard and called him innocent, illegally imprisoned, national hero - any of that stuff. All they've asked is for timely medical treatment.

Unless the faujis actually want to kill him prison (seems unlikely, they could've quietly done it ages ago), I think they'll heed it. They're motivated to keep him alive as an ace in hole to threaten the likes of the Sharifs with if they get too uppity so they'll also take decent care of him even if they don't give him his private medical team like his party and supporters are demanding.
 
RexRex said:
So .. you have absolutely nothing to prove he is an India hater. All of Imran's rants were directed at Advani/Modi/RSS/Hindutva - which many indians themselves don't like.
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If you read post carefully,

>>>the stuff in the 70's and 80's had to be witnessed as there was not as much journalist documentation of his acts.<<<

With you ignorance about Torquemada (and the spanish inquisition) while claiming to be Christian you really are proving by wet behind the ears assessment.

RexRex said:
For someone who is supposedly an athiest, you get very touchy when rss/hindutva is criticised. :unsure:
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There is nothing supposed about it.

I prefer a secular governance. Sadly, in India, that seems close to be accomplished by BJP.

Make sure you understand the difference between secular governance and secular politics
 
rpant_gabba said:
If you read post carefully,

>>>the stuff in the 70's and 80's had to be witnessed as there was not as much journalist documentation of his acts.<<<
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well clearly u must have been there as witness since you know about it. tell us what u saw..
 
This union of 14 ex cricketers is like a pp member who is sad and decides to write a long letter dedicated to the coach and captain that describes what changes should be made in Pakistan cricket. Only for that letter to be read by us and ignored.

To make the poster better, he wins a potw award
 
RexRex said:
well clearly u must have been there as witness since you know about it. tell us what u saw..
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Well obviously he’s speaking with emotion not with evidence or logic which points to the kind of brainwashing he’s been exposed to.
 
psyoptica said:
Well obviously he’s speaking with emotion not with evidence or logic which points to the kind of brainwashing he’s been exposed to.
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Even if he said things like this .
Just doesn't deserve the kind of treatment after being a prime minister.
 
Josh said:
Even if he said things like this .
Just doesn't deserve the kind of treatment after being a prime minister.
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I was referring the poster who was saying IK is anti India.
Obviously IK is not perfect and has made many mistakes but i don’t doubt his patriotism and love for his country. Put anyone in his position, they will break but he’s never going to compromise on his principles.
 
SpiritOf1903 said:
He used to spend time in India. Think lived there for a bit...
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Not really.. also he was on the who started “no tour” thing there is a magazine cover where in 1991 he famously refused to tour India..(hope it’s not fake it is from 3 years ago).
 
International pressure may not work but dictators don't like to be in limelights for stuff like this. Pakistani Army spends lots of time in projecting certain PR.
 
Greg Chappell, who organised the petition, is interviewed by cricket journalist Gideon.

 
Watched the interview of Greg. The admiration for Khan is only going to go higher with every passing days as every voice for him authenticates the person he is.
 
deltexas said:
Cant blame Pak cricketers not being on this list. Unlike others, they have to stay and live in Pak and so are exposed to threats from the ruling a. So best to stay neutral and not risk anything.
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Yup. Can't blame the current players or Players who still live in Pakistan. They have to go home after all and will not jeopardize their family's safety.
 
What is this supposed to achieve? He is already getting medical treatment and doctors are handling his condition.

its his own people using his medical condition to gain political sympathy and score points. Instead of respecting his privacy and letting him recover, they are turning a serious health issue into a political drama.
 
So far there is an article by Atherton in Times, interview of Greg as mentioned above, snippets of discussions with Gavaskar on this topic as well. After this letter has gone out I understand there are more cricketers that have stepped up and said they wanted to be part of the letter so its likely in the coming days another such letter with an expanded list of cricket signatories to be included as well.
 
Extra_Cover said:
So far there is an article by Atherton in Times, interview of Greg as mentioned above, snippets of discussions with Gavaskar on this topic as well. After this letter has gone out I understand there are more cricketers that have stepped up and said they wanted to be part of the letter so its likely in the coming days another such letter with an expanded list of cricket signatories to be included as well.
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https://twitter.com/x/status/2024202969776873503
 
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