Brian Lara backs Imran Khan, calls for dignity and independent medical care

Former West Indies captain Brian Lara has joined a group of former international captains voicing concern over imprisoned Pakistan great Imran Khan’s health and treatment. Lara called for independent medical care and dignity, saying his appeal was about basic humanity, not politics

New Delhi: Former West Indies captain Brian Lara has become the latest ex-international skipper to join the chorus voicing support for the imprisoned former Pakistan captain Imran Khan and his treatment.

Lara took to social media to voice his support for Imran, calling for “proper, independent medical care and dignity every human deserves” as he stood with former international captains who have raised the issue of Imran’s health in prison.

---

“Imran Khan and I only crossed paths on the field a handful of times, but the respect I have for him was instant and lasting,” Lara wrote in his Instagram post.

“I am struggling to understand how someone who was once a beacon of hope, pride and inspiration for his country, at the height of his sporting career, could now find himself in a situation where he is not being cared for and treated with the compassion and dignity he deserves.

“I stand with my fellow former captains in asking that he receive proper, independent medical care and the dignity every human being deserves. This isn’t politics. It’s basic humanity for a legend of our game,” he added.

Lara’s statements came days after the likes of Greg Chappell, Pat Cummins, Javed Miandad, Moin Khan and Kapil Dev voiced their concerns over Imran’s health and treatment. Earlier, 21 former international captains had signed a petition demanding dignified treatment and proper court-directed medical care for the jailed 1992 World Cup-winning captain.

The petition was signed by 21 former international captains, including Sir Alastair Cook, Michael Atherton, Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist, and Nasser Hussain, and expressed grave concern over Khan’s health, particularly reports regarding significant vision loss in his right eye, after he spent over three years in custody.

“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,” the letter stated.

The signatories laid out three primary demands: a comprehensive health evaluation by a Supreme Court-directed medical board that includes Khan’s personal physicians, uninterrupted weekly family visitation rights, and immediate implementation of any recommended medical treatment.

The petitioners described themselves as ‘former colleagues and rivals who share a bond forged on the cricket field’ that ‘transcends the borders and disputes that too often divide countries’.