Imran Khan "Is Not Corrupt": Javed Miandad Breaks Down After Pakistan Great's Sons' Interview
Javed Miandad has seen the aura of Imran Khan from close quarters. Together, they were part of a Pakistan cricket period when it was one of the most feared teams in the world
- Javed Miandad described Imran Khan as honest and expressed concern for his prison conditions
- Imran Khan has been jailed in Rawalpindi since 2023 on corruption charges he denies
- Imran Khan led Pakistan to its only ODI World Cup win in 1992 and became Prime Minister
Javed Miandad has seen the aura of Imran Khan from close quarters. Together, they were part of a Pakistan cricket period when it was one of the most feared teams in the world. Imran Khan went on to become the country's prime minister, but has now ended up in jail. The 73-year-old Imran has been jailed in Rawalpindi since 2023 after being convicted on corruption charges. He recently underwent a medical examination in Islamabad before being sent back to prison.
A day after a Sky Sports interview with Imran Khan's sons made news around the world, Javed Miandad broke down during an interview while talking about Imran's conditions. "He is an honest man. He is not someone who engages in corrupt practices, otherwise he would have done a lot of things. What will happen if you let him out? Will he eat or damage someone? He is also someone's son. I always think about what he must be doing," Miandad said on the Narrative YouTube channel.
A former Pakistan Prime Minister himself, Imran is an iconic name in the country's cricket history, having led the national team to its first and only ODI World Cup title back in 1992.
He has denied any wrongdoing and described the action against him as politically motivated.
On Thursday, Imran Khan's sons Sulaiman and Kasim Khan featured in an interview with former England cricketer Michael Atherton during the lunch break of the second Test at Lord's.
In the interview, Imran Khan's sons spoke their hearts out, highlighting that the Pakistan government is trying to kill their father.
"They are not even acting with any kind of strategy anymore. 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. The last time he was able to speak to our aunties and anyone else, he said the conditions have severely worsened recently. He has been relating it to other political prisoners who have been killed or who have died in prison. Right now, it is worse than ever, completely isolating him for more than 23 hours a day in a cell," Kasim said in the interview.
"Right now, it's really crucial for us that he gets proper treatment. He had an eye patch on for the eye situation, seemed visibly stressed, and that is something that is very hard for us to imagine because he embodies a very calm, assured presence every time I have ever seen him, including being at gunpoint. A car we were in was robbed, and he was the calmest person there, including the robbers," he added.
Meanwhile, Australia's Test and ODI skipper Pat Cummins on Friday threw his weight behind the ongoing former international captains' campaign seeking medical care for jailed Pakistan legend Imran Khan and said he should be treated with dignity. Cummins has become perhaps the first active cricketer to voice his support for Imran's medical care after 21 former captains, including India great Sunil Gavaskar, wrote a letter to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif demanding humane treatment of the legendary former all-rounder.
"Adding my support here to GC (Greg Chappell) and the other former international captains. I hope the court-ordered medical assessment is allowed to run its course, and that family visits continue. I hope Imran Khan is treated with the dignity anyone deserves," Cummins posted on X, quoting a short clip of Chappell in which he is seen expressing his own concerns about Imran's well-being.
Pakistan Cricket Team