ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistani cricketers, including Javed Miandad and Moin Khan, have expressed concerns about the health of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, urging authorities to release the former cricket star.

Khan took up politics as a profession in the 1990s after leading Pakistan to its only 50-over World Cup glory in 1992. A prolific cricketer, he took the field against some of the biggest names in international cricket from the late 1970s till his retirement in 1992.

In an interview on Narratives podcast, Miandad called upon the Pakistani government to resolve their differences with Khan, who remains in jail since August 2023 on charges he says are politically motivated, and offered to help in any way possible.

“I pray that what’s going on with him gets resolved, because he does not deserve this... What’s being done to him is not right. It’s unnecessary. He has a family too,” an emotional Miandad said.

“I think about it all the time, what he must be doing [in prison], what he must be thinking of. We were so close. We used to be together and think so much of each other. We took Pakistan to such new heights. I can’t help but feel so sad about it.”

Miandad’s comments were followed by Moin Khan, who called on the government in Islamabad to ensure appropriate treatment of Khan and to honor his rights, urging other Pakistani cricketers to speak up in solidarity for the former captain.

“Imran Khan is very unwell,” Moin said. “I appeal to the government of Pakistan that Imran be granted his rights as a former Prime Minister and citizen of Pakistan with regards to his treatment.”

Ramiz Raja, who played with Khan, also spoke about his current health condition on the Stick to Cricket podcast.

Last week, 21 former international cricket captains appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to allow an independent medical board to examine jailed former premier Imran Khan, weekly family visitation for the ex-premier and ensure that he is provided treatment without delay.

Pakistan’s government has rejected claims that Khan has been denied appropriate medical care or that he has been kept in solitary confinement, citing hundreds of visitor entries that included his family members, lawyers, and party members.

The letter was signed by former cricket captains and icons from England, Australia, India, Sri Lanka and other countries. The signatories included Michael Atherton, Alex Blackwell, Allan Border, Michael Brearley, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Alastair Cook, Michael Gatting, Sunil Gavaskar, Lee Germon, Adam Gilchrist, David Gower, Kim Hughes, Nasser Hussain, Clive Lloyd, Kapil Dev, Arjuna Ranatunga, Andrew Strauss, Dilip Vengsarkar, Steve Waugh, and John Wright.

It came days after Pakistan’s top court ordered that Khan be taken to the private Shifa International Hospital for a specialist examination and treatment. He, however, was taken to the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), with the government citing “security reasons” for the change of venue.