Imran Khan’s prison conditions have become the centre of a fresh controversy involving Pakistan cricket, after his sons raised concerns about his health in an interview with former England captain Michael Atherton.
The interview, featuring Khan’s sons Sulaiman and Kasim, was broadcast by Sky Sports during the lunch break on Day 1 of the second Test between England and Pakistan at Lord’s. The programme triggered a strong reaction from the Pakistan Cricket Board, with reports suggesting the Pakistan team had even considered refusing to return to the field if the interview was aired. The threat ultimately amounted to talks rather than action. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s government broadcaster PTV, which was carrying Sky Sports’ feed, reportedly switched to advertisements when the interview preview went on air rather than showing the segment.
Kasim and Sulaiman spoke about what they described as deteriorating conditions for their father, who has been imprisoned since 2023. Kasim alleged that the situation had become so serious that he believed the authorities were deliberately trying to keep Khan isolated and “blatantly trying to kill him”.
Kasim claimed Khan had lost around 80 per cent of the vision in one eye and had recently been seen wearing an eye patch. He also alleged that the former Pakistan prime minister spends more than 23 hours a day alone in a small prison cell, with limited access to books and basic comforts.
“They are not even acting with any kind of strategy any more. 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.
He claimed Khan had told relatives that the conditions had severely worsened and that he was being increasingly isolated, comparing his situation with other political prisoners who had died in custody. Kasim also described his father as visibly stressed, saying the change was particularly worrying because Khan had always appeared calm even in dangerous situations.
The concerns came shortly after Pakistan’s Supreme Court directed that Khan be taken for a medical examination. His sons said they had initially been cautiously optimistic that he would receive proper treatment at a private hospital.
Instead, they claimed he was taken to a government medical facility for a short examination before being returned to prison. “We were cautiously optimistic. Our fears were confirmed when, instead of being taken to the private hospital, where he was meant to be taken, he was just taken to a government medical facility for a few hours, and then taken straight back to jail,” Sulaiman said.
He claimed Khan was examined for about an hour by government officials before being sent back to prison, despite doctors waiting for him at Shifa International Hospital. Khan was subsequently taken to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad on August 21 for a medical check-up before being returned to Adiala jail in accordance with the Supreme Court's orders.
The latest controversy has also drawn former cricketers into the debate. A group of former international captains, including Indian greats Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, wrote to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urging authorities to ensure that Khan receives proper medical treatment and humane conditions in prison.
The appeal was framed as a humanitarian intervention rather than a political statement. Former England captain Michael Atherton, who interviewed Khan’s sons for Sky Sports, had also previously joined calls for greater attention to the former Pakistan captain’s health.
Imran Khan’s imprisonment stems from a series of legal cases that followed his removal as Pakistan’s prime minister in April 2022. On April 10, 2022, Pakistan’s National Assembly removed Khan through a no-confidence vote, making him the first Pakistani prime minister to be ousted through such a motion.
Khan subsequently began a political campaign against the government, alleging that the military and his political opponents had worked together to remove him. His legal troubles escalated over the following year. In August 2022, Khan was booked under Pakistan’s anti-terrorism law and later secured protective bail from the Islamabad High Court. In October 2022, the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified him from contesting elections for five years after finding him guilty of concealing details related to the sale of gifts received from foreign leaders.
Khan was arrested on May 9, 2023, in connection with the Toshakhana case. The arrest triggered violent protests by his supporters across Pakistan. The Islamabad High Court subsequently ordered his release, but he was arrested again in August 2023 after being sentenced to three years in prison in the Toshakhana case.
His legal troubles continued into 2024. In January, Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were handed a separate 14-year sentence in another Toshakhana case. The Islamabad High Court later suspended that sentence in April 2024. Khan and Bushra Bibi were also sentenced to seven years each in February 2024 in the case concerning their 2018 marriage, commonly referred to as the iddat case. They were acquitted in July 2024. Although Khan secured bail in another graft case in November 2024, he remained in jail because of other cases against him.
The latest major conviction came on January 17, 2025, when Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison in the Al-Qadir Trust land case. Bushra Bibi was sentenced to seven years in the same case. The case centred on allegations that Khan and Bushra Bibi received land through the Al-Qadir Trust, a charitable trust they established in 2018. Pakistani authorities alleged that the land was linked to a settlement involving property developer Malik Riaz and was worth up to $25 million.
Khan has faced legal proceedings in more than 100 cases since his removal from office.
Long before entering politics, Khan was one of Pakistan’s biggest sporting icons. As captain, he led Pakistan to its first ODI World Cup title in 1992. Four years later, in 1996, he founded the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. PTI failed to win a seat in the 1997 general election, but Khan won the party’s only seat in the 2002 election. His political rise continued over the next decade before he became Pakistan’s prime minister in August 2018.
Khan remained prime minister until April 2022, when he was removed through a no-confidence vote. His fall from power was followed by a series of legal cases, arrests and convictions that eventually led to his continued imprisonment.
