'He should get proper treatment': Kapil Dev gets emotional speaking about Imran Khan's deteriorating health in Pakistan jail
‘He should get proper treatment’: Kapil Dev gets emotional speaking about Imran Khan’s deteriorating health in Pakistan jail originally appeared on Cricket News.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Kapil Dev makes an emotional appeal for Imran Khan to receive proper medical treatment in jail.
- Kapil says Khan’s journey from cricketer to Prime Minister deserves basic human dignity.
- Indian legend joined global cricket figures in signing a letter for Khan’s welfare in February.
Kapil Dev gets emotional over Imran Khan’s jail conditions, demands proper treatment
Kapil Dev has made a heartfelt and emotional public plea for Imran Khan to be given proper medical attention in Pakistan’s jail.
He shared his deep personal anguish over reports about the former Prime Minister’s declining health and called for basic human dignity to be extended.
Kapil had been at the forefront of a collective effort made by cricket legends earlier this year in February, when he joined a group of former international captains and players, including Greg Chappell, in signing a letter calling for Imran Khan’s proper treatment during his detention.
Kapil revealed that Chappell had personally reached out to him in connection with that initiative.
Speaking to Aajtak, Kapil expressed that he feels deeply troubled by what he reads and hears, making it clear that his concern goes beyond cricket or politics.
“I feel very bad. I don’t know what he did wrong or what he didn’t do,” he said. “The report that comes out makes it seem like such a big… not just players, anyone can make a mistake. Such a big Prime Minister should get proper treatment.”
Kapil stressed that this was not a comment on the Pakistani legal system, which he openly admitted he doesn’t fully understand, but rather a simple human appeal that transcended borders and grudges.
“That was my plea throughout. And I don’t know the law,” he added.
“I don’t know what action is taken against him. I don’t know anything, but I know this much: he has been a very big cricketer for his country, and he has been a Prime Minister. So some ethics have to be there. What we hear is not like that, so I feel bad.”
While Imran Khan rots in Pakistani jail, Indian legend Kapil Dev gets emotional: Imran Ke Haalat Ko Dekh Kar Dukh Hota hai. No way for Pakistan to treat their former Prime Minister.
Watch this. Full podcast drops Sunday 7pm on @sports_tak@therealkapildev@ImranKhanPTI… pic.twitter.com/K4YbTkpcv8
— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) July 4, 2026
From a cricketer to Prime Minister: Imran Khan’s journey is worth respecting
Kapil’s admiration for what Imran Khan achieved beyond cricket was clear throughout. He pointed out that Khan spent 20 years working relentlessly toward a political vision for his country, driven by something deep within him to contribute beyond his sporting legacy.
“Imran, he worked very hard for 20 years to become a Prime Minister. There was something in him that made him want to give back to the country,” Kapil said.
(Getty)
For any cricketer to reach the highest office in the land is a source of immense pride, Kapil said, and that pride is something cricketers across the world feel regardless of national boundaries.
“It was just this: a fellow cricketer who played with us, and who became the Prime Minister of a country, any player… you feel very proud,” he said.
“And we had the same plea. We were saying that treatment should be given properly. As for the conditions, we don’t know what he did wrong or not. We don’t know the law of their country. But we know this much: a human should get proper treatment.”
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The Bigger Picture: A human appeal, not a political one
Throughout his comments, Kapil was careful and measured. He repeatedly stated that he does not know the specifics of Khan’s legal situation, does not understand Pakistani law, and is not in a position to judge whether what Khan did politically was right or wrong.
His appeal was stripped back to its most human form: a cricketer who became a Prime Minister deserves to be treated like a human being, with access to proper medical care.
The emotion in Kapil Dev’s words was hard to miss. For a man whose public persona is defined by warmth and generosity, seeing a contemporary, a rival, a fellow giant of the game reduced to what reports suggest is a dire situation inside a jail cell clearly weighs on him heavily.
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