‘This is not how you treat people’: Michael Holding slams Pakistan over Imran Khan’s treatment

Michael Holding and Imran Khan (Image Agency) Former West Indies paceman Michael Holding has joined a growing list of cricket figures calling for better treatment of former Pakistan captain Imran Khan, saying the jailed 1992 World Cup winner should be treated “like another human being”.Imran has been in a Pakistani prison since 2023, facing ongoing legal disputes, with concerns about his health and access to basic facilities still growing. His family claimed that he did not even have access to books and that he was not provided with proper medical facilities.The matter received fresh attention after 21 international captains including Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev wrote to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urging the authorities to provide basic facilities for Imran. Pat Cummins, Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad and Brian Lara also subsequently spoke out in support of the humane treatment of the former Pakistan all-rounder.

Michael Holding speaks for Imran Khan

Holding, who played alongside and against Imran during his international career, said the plight of the former Pakistan captain was deeply worrying.“I will mention one name, Imran Khan, but you probably don’t want to go down the political path and I don’t either, but that’s a sad story. to become one of the defining legacies of a former Pakistan captain. I played with Imran, I wouldn’t say I played a lot. I played a few one-day matches with him. I played a few matches against Imran, I played with Imran, with Imran, and since then with Imran,” Holding told Sports Now.The former fast bowler also recalled his relationship with Imran outside of cricket. He recalled accompanying him in London when the former Pakistan captain was raising funds for his cancer hospital.“When Imran was going around London raising funds for that cancer hospital, I went with him, I tried to support him as much as I could. So I know the man and I know exactly what kind of person he is. And it’s extremely sad to see what the situation is now and what’s happening to Imran Khan,” the 72-year-old recalled.Holding’s comment came after an appeal by former international captains who demanded proper medical care and access to family for Imran. The West Indies supported this demand while stressing that the issue should not be seen only through the lens of politics.

“You don’t treat people like that”

Holding said it fully supported the captains, who had written to Pakistan’s prime minister asking why Imran should be treated differently from other prisoners.“I totally support the captains who wrote that letter. I don’t know what the impact is going to be, but I totally support trying to treat that person like any other human being. That’s not how you treat human beings. That’s not how people who commit murder are treated. So I don’t see any reason why this person should be treated that way,” Holding said.He also questioned whether jealousy could be a factor, pointing to Imran’s extraordinary global profile.“I don’t know if there is jealousy involved because Imran Khan. I don’t think there is a Pakistani who is more famous in the world than Imran Khan. This is ridiculous how this man is being treated,” he added.The controversy surrounding Imran’s prison conditions has already spread to the world of cricket after Michael Atherton interviewed his sons, Sulaiman and Kasim, on the sidelines of the Lord’s Test between England and Pakistan. The PCB subsequently threatened to pull out of the match, but Sky Sports went ahead and broadcast the 18-minute interview.In an interview, Imran’s sons claimed that their father was being denied proper medical facilities. Holding’s intervention has now added another prominent voice to calls for humane treatment of the former Pakistan captain.