Australia legend Greg Chappell has given a very vivid and heartbreaking description of what former Pakistan all-rounder and prime minister Imran Khan is going through in prison. Imran has been in jail since 2023 on corruption charges, which he vehemently denies.
Last week, 21 former cricketers wrote to Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif to provide Imran with humane treatment. They wrote after it emerged that Imran was taken to hospital at the behest of the apex court but wasn’t given much attention by the doctors. The check-up happened really quickly. In February earlier this year, there were reports that Imran was losing sight in his right eye after which some of the 21 former cricketers had sent out a letter and urged the authorities in Pakistan to treat him well.
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Chappell, an important figure in both the petitions, on a podcast on the Grade Cricketer Clips and The Grade Cricketer, said that the 1992 World Cup-winning captain was struggling.
“At the moment, he’s not getting any better. You know, from a physical point of view, it’s hard to get information but I saw a video clip the other day, I’m assuming, of his latest trip to hospital where he was put into a wheelchair to get him to, from wherever he was, to wherever he was going, and he didn’t look well at all. He didn’t look robust. He didn’t look like he could really… get around very much.”
“I mean, 73 years of age, so obviously, you know, he’s getting older, but, you know, I met up with him in Pakistan 6 years ago, and he was still a strong, robust older man. That’s not the case anymore. His right eye apparently [has developed a disability]… he’s struggling. He’s been in isolation for 3 years.
“I don’t know how anyone deals with that. Imran is as strong physically and mentally as anyone that I played cricket against. But I don’t know how you deal with absolute isolation for 3 years. He’s not, I don’t think, he’s allowed to read books. He’s pretty much just got to sit there and bathe himself. And he’s in the dark most of the time.
“So, that’s not good for your mental health, and you know, as your mental health deteriorates, your physical health is going to deteriorate. He doesn’t have access, or his family doesn’t have access,” Chappell added.