“Cricket has long been a bridge between nations. Our shared history on the field reminds us that rivalry ends when the stumps are drawn – and respect endures.
“Imran Khan embodied that spirit throughout his career.
“We call on authorities to honour it now by upholding the principles of decency and justice.”
Gavaskar, a hugely influential voice in India and a popular commentator, said of Imran: “It’s terrible what they are doing to him. We have been friends since he was trying to qualify as an overseas player for Worcestershire and not just rivals on the field.”
Imran’s supporters have argued for his release on medical grounds, citing the loss of 85 per cent of vision in his right eye, while also decrying the fact he has been denied visits by his family and his personal physician.
“He’s in a very small cell, which has been described as a ‘death cell’ because this is where they’ve held people who are on death row,” his son Sulaiman said in December.
“Sometimes the electricity is cut off. Sometimes he won’t be allowed reading materials.
“I hated him being in politics when I was younger. I was constantly worried because I would hear stories that his life was in danger. There have been two incidents already where he almost died: in 2013, he fell off a 20-foot platform during a rally in Lahore, and three years ago he was shot.
“As an adult, I have a different perspective on it now. Selfishly, I would love to be able to see him and for him to be with us here. But I also want him to keep going because this is what he sees as his mission.”
Test cricket greats Greg Chappell and Imran Khan reacquaint in 2020.Credit: Facebook
Imran and his wife Bushra Bibi have been imprisoned since August 2023, following Imran’s ousting from the leadership of Pakistan the previous year.
He has subsequently faced an ever-mounting pile of corruption charges, currently amounting to a 31-year jail sentence after the most recent verdict passed in December.
“The water that he showers in is not just dirty, but discoloured,” his other son Kasim said.
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“A dozen prisoners in that jail have died of hepatitis, and all of them were supporters of PTI, his political party.
“It’s psychological torture that they’re employing to try to break him. But he’s very, very tough to break.”
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