Former Pakistan cricket captain Wasim Akram has called on the authorities to give Imran Khan fair treatment while he remains in jail. Speaking on the ‘Old Boys, New Balls’ podcast co-hosted by another former England captain Ian Botham, the legendary fast bowler expressed personal emotion and concern for his old teammate and leader.
Akram thanked the group of former international captains who recently signed a petition in support of Imran Khan. “I feel for skipper, I miss him as a friend, I miss him as a mentor, we miss him as a leader. We haven’t seen his picture for three years,” he said. The 1992 World Cup-winning left-arm bowler added that the entire nation is hoping for a positive outcome. “What we want from this government is to give him fair treatment, like other politicians had before. Fingers are crossed, Insha’Allah the whole nation is behind him and he’ll be out soon.”
Imran Khan, 73, has been in prison since August 2023 after convictions in several cases that he and his party describe as politically motivated. He was removed from power through a no-confidence vote in 2022 and has faced multiple legal challenges since then.
Akram’s comments come weeks after twenty-one former international cricket captains renewed their appeal to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for proper medical treatment for the PTI founder, in line with Supreme Court directions. On August 18 a three-member bench of the Supreme Court ordered Adiala jail authorities to transfer Khan to Shifa Hospital for medical assessment within two days.
Instead, he was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences where doctors from Shifa International Hospital were also present. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that a team of specialists, including an ophthalmologist, cardiologist and physician, examined Khan in the presence of his sister and his own doctors and declared him medically fit. The PTI later filed a contempt petition claiming the court’s order had not been fully followed.
After retiring from cricket, Khan entered politics and served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. His party continues to maintain that the cases against him are driven by political motives rather than genuine legal concerns. Wasim Akram’s public appeal has once again drawn attention to the long-running situation and the call for fair treatment.
