Javed Miandad breaks down during an interview and questions the continued imprisonment of Imran Khan
Former Pakistan cricketer Javed Miandad broke down while talking about the jailing of his former teammate Imran Khan, making an emotional appeal for his release and insisting the 1992 World Cup-winning captain was an honest man.
Miandad’s comments come amid renewed concerns about Imran’s health and treatment in prison. The 73-year-old former prime minister of Pakistan has been held in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail since 2023 after being convicted on corruption charges.
Imran recently underwent a medical in Islamabad before being taken back to prison. His party questioned the way the examination was conducted after Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered that he be transferred to Shifa International Hospital and given access to doctors, including his personal doctor.
In an interview with the Narrative YouTube channel, Miandad said he knew Imran well enough to be convinced of his integrity.
“He is an honest person. He is not someone who engages in corrupt practices, otherwise he would do a lot of things,” Miandad said. “What happens if you let him out? Will he eat or hurt someone? He’s also someone’s son. I’m always thinking about what he might be doing.”
Miandad said his opinion of Imran was based on the years they spent together playing for Pakistan and in county cricket. He asked why the ex-captain was still in jail and urged those involved to sit down and find a solution.
He also rejected the suggestion that he and Imran were always rivals. The two had disagreements during and after their playing careers, including over Pakistan cricket, but Miandad said they always shared the same goal when playing for their country.
“We had no rivalry,” Miandad said, before stressing that whatever their differences were, they played and fought for Pakistan.
Miandad’s comments came after Imran’s sons, Sulaiman and Kasim, spoke to former England captain Michael Atherton during Sky Sports’ coverage of the second Test between England and Pakistan at Lord’s.
The brothers expressed concern about their father’s health and prison conditions. Kasim claimed that Imran was kept in solitary confinement more than 23 hours a day and claimed that attempts were made to kill him.
“It’s very, very clear what they’re doing, which is they’re blatantly trying to kill him there. They just want to keep him there as long as possible and hopefully just silence him,” Kasim said.
“The last time he was able to speak to our aunts and to anyone else, he said that conditions had gotten significantly worse recently. He shared this with other political prisoners who had been killed or died in prison.”
“Right now it’s worse than ever, to completely isolate him for more than 23 hours a day in a cell,” he added.
The interview, which was screened during the lunch break of the second Test at Lord’s, led to a formal complaint by the Pakistan Cricket Board to Sky Sports.
PCB objected to the interview before it aired and according to reports he even considered keeping the Pakistani players off the field after lunch in protest.
Several former international captains, including Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Greg Chappell, have also called for proper medical treatment for Imran. Australia captain Pat Cummins has publicly called for the former Pakistan captain to be treated with dignity.
Imran remains one of the most famous Pakistani cricketers. In 1992, he led the country to their first and only men’s ODI World Cup title.
Miandad and Imran were key members of the Pakistan team during the 1980s and early 1990s. Their partnership was crucial to the team’s World Cup triumph in Australia.
In the final against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Pakistan were 24/2 when Imran and Miandad came together. They added 139 runs for the third wicket with Imran scoring 72 and Miandad 58.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
29 Aug 2026 15:05 IST