Kapil Dev rallies behind 'friend' Imran Khan, urges best medical treatment

Kapil Dev publicly called for humane and proper medical treatment for jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, describing him as a friend and one of the greatest cricketers the world has seen.

The appeal came a day after 21 former international cricket captains signed a second letter to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif within six months, renewing their request for Khan's medical needs to be addressed while he remains in custody.

"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 was quoted as saying by Independent.

"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 added.

The second letter, addressed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, is focused entirely on ensuring that a court-ordered medical process is carried out.

"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. It is one we believe every nation that plays this game would recognise as fair," the letter states.

Kapil Dev was careful to separate the humanitarian concern from any legal or political position. He did not comment on the proceedings against Khan or the circumstances of his detention, limiting his appeal strictly to the question of medical care and basic dignity for a prisoner.

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Khan has been held at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since August 5, 2023. Reports indicate he has lost approximately 85 per cent of vision in his right eye due to medical neglect while in custody. Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered a medical board to examine his eyes on February 12, 2026, following those reports. The first letter from former captains, signed by 14 of them, was written in February 2026 and expressed concern over Khan's deteriorating health.