Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 28: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had considered not sending its players to the field after the lunch break on the opening day of their second Test against England at Lord’s on Thursday after the host broadcaster Sky Sports refused to pay any heed to its threat and continued to air an interview with the sons of the former Pakistani cricket captain and jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.
According to media reports, the PCB eventually settled with a complaint and send the Pakistani team back on the field following an intervention by the England Cricket Board.
According to reports, the PCB had asked the hosts’ broadcaster Sky Sports not to air the interview with former captain Imran Khan’s sons during the lunch break. Pakistan reportedly threatened a walkout too if their demands were met. However, Sky Sports went ahead with the scheduled broadcast and aired the interview.
Former England skipper Mike Atherton conducted the 18-minute interview with Imran’s sons, Suleiman and Kasim Khan. The two expressed fears about the well-being of their 73-year-old father, who is a celebrated former captain under whom the country won its first and only ODI World Cup in 1992.
The PCB had objected to the telecast of the conversation recorded on Wednesday and even considered keeping its players off the field after lunch in protest if Sky went ahead with the broadcast. However, the visitors did take the field as scheduled and England ended the day at 248 for nine on Thursday.
The PCB learned about the interview after Sky ran a teaser for the segment ahead of the Test. The Bard, it is learnt, contacted the broadcaster, asking it not to air the interview. In Pakistan, PTV, which is broadcasting the series, did not show the interview.
Atherton is among the 21 former cricket captains from different countries, including India great Sunil Gavaskar, who have jointly send a letter to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif a few days ago asking him to ensure proper medical care for Imran, who is believed to have lost significant vision since his imprisonment.
A total of two letters have been sent by cricket captains all across the world to the Pakistan Prime Minister over Imran Khan’s situation in jail. The first of these letters was drafted in February but it failed to trigger the desired change. The second was sent earlier this week, when Imran was returned to the Adiala jail after a brief medical check-up.
As for the interview, Imran’s sons Suleiman and Kasim Khan expressed how concerning their father’s situation is in prison. Even during the interview, the two brothers claimed that there was a serious threat to their father’s life in prison. “It is not very clear what they are doing, just blatantly trying to kill him in there. Keep him in as long as possible and silence him,” Kasim said in the interview.
Imran, a former Prime Minister who served Pakistan from 2018 to 2022, has been behind bars over multiple cases since his removal from office. The cases include corruption convictions carrying sentences of 10, 14 and 17 years. Before the 2024 elections, Imran was given a seven-year sentence in a case regarding the timing of his marriage to his current wife following her divorce.
Imran’s health has become a major talking point globally in recent weeks. He was recently taken for medical examination at the Shifa Hospital in Islamabad on the directions of Pakistan’s Supreme Court but was brought back to the prison after a check-up.
During the interview, Kasim accused the Pakistan government of deliberately keeping his father behind bars and claimed that the circumstances surrounding his detention had become increasingly alarming.
“They are making it very clear from what they are doing that there is an open attempt to kill him. They want to keep Imran Khan in prison for as long as possible. They believe they can silence his voice. When our relatives recently met him, he said the situation had become extremely bad. He was comparing it with other political prisoners who were either killed or died in prison. The situation is even worse now. He is kept completely isolated in a cell for more than 23 hours a day,” Kasim said.
His remarks have added to the concerns surrounding Imran Khan’s health and conditions in prison. His sister, Uzma, had also previously levelled serious allegations against the Shehbaz Sharif government.
Suleiman questioned why his father had not been examined by an independent and neutral doctor. He said the family had initially hoped for a proper medical examination after a court ordered medical tests, but claimed their concerns increased when Imran Khan was taken to a government hospital instead of a private facility.
“We have to wonder what they are hiding. Why are they not allowing him to be examined by an impartial, neutral doctor? When the court ordered a medical test, we had some hope, but our fears came true when, instead of taking him to a private hospital, they took him to a government hospital. Then he was sent back to prison. He had a bandage over his eye because of an injury. He looked extremely stressed. Every time I have seen him, he has always appeared calm and confident,” he added.
Suleiman and Kasim further said they have not seen their father in person since 2022. According to them, their last conversation with Imran Khan over the phone took place in March this year. The brothers said they wanted to travel to Pakistan and meet him but were not granted visas.
The latest allegations have once again brought attention to the conditions in which Imran Khan is being held and his access to medical care. His sons have questioned the lack of access to an independent medical assessment and expressed concern over his prolonged isolation.