The Pakistan Cricket Board reportedly threatened to pull its players off the field at Lord’s if Sky Sports aired an interview with Imran Khan’s sons. But what exactly in the interview had the PCB so worried?
The 18-minute interview, conducted by former England captain and broadcaster Mike Atherton, was not your usual cricket conversation. Recorded inside the Lord’s Pavilion, the interview featured Imran Khan’s sons, Sulaiman and Kasim, speaking at length about the condition of their father, the former Pakistan captain and prime minister who has been in prison since August 2023.
The PCB, according to Cricinfo, contacted Sky Sports before the lunch break to protest the segment and threatened that Pakistan’s players would not return to the field if it was aired. Sky subsequently delayed the interview before eventually broadcasting it during lunch. By the time the interview ended, Pakistan’s players were preparing to return for the second session at 2.40pm.
The PCB’s objection was understood to be centred on the political nature of the interview. But having heard what the two brothers had to say, there was one particularly explosive section that may explain why the board was so desperate to stop it from reaching viewers.
‘THEY’RE BLATANTLY TRYING TO KILL HIM’
Asked why he and his brother had become more vocal about their father’s imprisonment, Sulaiman explained that the family initially believed Imran’s time in prison would be relatively short. That changed as the years passed.
Sulaiman spoke about the assassination attempts against his father, including the 2022 attack in which Imran was shot in the leg, before describing the growing sense of helplessness within the family. And then came the most serious allegation of the entire interview.
“It’s very, very clear what they’re doing, which is they’re just blatantly trying to kill him in there,” Sulaiman said. “They just want to keep him in there as long as possible and hopefully just silence him.”
It was an extraordinary accusation to make on an international broadcaster, and one that put the spotlight directly on the Pakistani authorities. There was more.
The brothers spoke about what they described as worsening conditions inside Adiala Jail, saying their father was being isolated for more than 23 hours a day. They also raised concerns over his eyesight, with Sulaiman claiming that Imran had lost around 80 per cent of the vision in one eye.
They said Imran had complained about the problem for months but had not received what they considered adequate treatment.
WHY THE INTERVIEW COULD HAVE WORRIED PCB
It is not clear whether this specific allegation was the reason for the PCB’s threat. The board had apparently objected to the interview as a whole and to the inclusion of political themes in live Test coverage. There is no confirmation that the PCB had seen the complete interview before deciding to complain to Sky Sports.
But if the board was aware of what the brothers were going to say, the allegation that Pakistan was “blatantly trying to kill” Imran Khan would have been difficult to ignore.
The interview did not simply touch on Imran’s political career. His sons spoke about his current treatment, his health, his isolation and their inability to visit him despite, according to them, court orders allowing weekly family visits.
They also questioned why their father had not been examined by independent doctors. Last week, they said, the Supreme Court ordered that Imran be taken to a private hospital for medical assessment and treatment. According to Sulaiman, that did not happen.
Instead, he said, Imran was taken to a government medical facility, examined by government-selected doctors for around an hour and then returned to prison.
“He still hasn’t been properly checked up by an unbiased, independent physician or doctor,” Sulaiman said. “And it just makes us think, what are they hiding? Why are they so fearful of allowing him to get reported on by an unbiased, neutral doctor?”
‘WE JUST WANT TO SEE HIM’
The brothers also revealed that they have not seen their father since November 2022, shortly after the assassination attempt against him. Sulaiman said they last spoke to him in March, around five or six months before the Lord’s interview, and that there had been “radio silence” since then.
According to the brothers, other members of the family in Pakistan had also been unable to see Imran for 10 months until the previous week, despite court orders allowing weekly family visits.
The sons themselves said they had repeatedly tried to obtain visas to travel to Pakistan, but claimed their applications had been stalled or rejected on technical grounds. They insisted that their priority was simply to see their father.
“I don’t think there’s… Well, there’s probably a small risk that we’d be arrested,” Sulaiman said when Atherton asked if he would be comfortable travelling to Pakistan. “But ultimately, we just want to see him at this point, even if it’s not to make any sort of noise and just minimal publicity.”
A DIRECT ATTACK ON PAKISTAN’S ESTABLISHMENT
The brothers also questioned the lack of response from the UK government and explained why they believed Pakistani cricketers had been reluctant to speak publicly about their father.
Sulaiman acknowledged that many former Pakistan cricketers revere Imran, but said it was difficult for them to express their opinions because of what he described as a military dictatorship and a crackdown on dissent.
There was also a deeply personal moment when Atherton asked whether the brothers ever regretted that their father had chosen politics rather than taking the easier route after his cricket career.
Sulaiman said he did not. He spoke of his father’s desire to fight corruption, pull people out of poverty and improve Pakistan, describing his ambition and drive as something he admired more than anything else about him.
PAKISTAN AND UK GOVERNMENTS RESPOND
The Pakistan government has rejected allegations of mistreatment or medical neglect.
As reported by the Associated Press, the government said Imran is being held as a convicted prisoner in a seven-cell compound with exercise facilities, access to home-cooked food, books and television. It also said he has received more than 900 visits since his imprisonment in 2023 and was returned to prison after doctors found him medically fit.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, meanwhile, said Pakistan’s judicial processes were a domestic matter in which the UK does not interfere. It said UK ministers have regularly raised with Pakistan the need to uphold its constitution and international human rights obligations, including with respect to Imran Khan.
The PCB’s reported threat ultimately came to nothing. Pakistan returned to the field after lunch.
But the interview had already done what the board appeared most keen to prevent: it had put Imran Khan, his health and his treatment in prison back in front of an international audience.
WHAT ELSE DID IMRAN KHAN’S SONS SAY?
Sulaiman and Kasim explained why they had not travelled to Pakistan to see their father. They said they had repeatedly applied for visas, but their applications had been stalled or rejected on technical grounds, leaving them convinced that the authorities did not want them in the country.
Despite the possibility of being arrested, Sulaiman said the brothers would be willing to travel to Pakistan if they were granted visas. Their priority, he made clear, would simply be to see their father rather than make a political statement.
IMRAN’S LIFE INSIDE JAIL
The brothers provided a glimpse into their conversations with Imran, saying their phone calls were often cut off randomly and could last anywhere from around six to 20 minutes.
Despite the circumstances, Sulaiman described his father as upbeat and said Imran was more interested in asking about his sons and the family than discussing his own problems. According to Sulaiman, the former Pakistan captain would quickly dismiss questions about his condition and instead use the limited time to offer his sons advice and life lessons.
The brothers also spoke about the conditions in which Imran is being held. Sulaiman said his father was living in a small cell, was not being given new books and had to endure high temperatures during summer without proper air conditioning.
THEY QUESTIONED PAKISTAN CRICKETERS’ SILENCE
The brothers also addressed the lack of public support for their father from former Pakistan cricketers.
Sulaiman said he understood why many of Imran’s former teammates had been reluctant to speak publicly about his situation. While he believed many of them continued to revere their former captain, he argued that speaking out could be difficult in what he described as a military dictatorship with a crackdown on dissent.
He also acknowledged the support Imran had received from former international captains, including Atherton, who had signed letters calling for better treatment and medical care for the former Pakistan captain.
THEY DON’T REGRET IMRAN CHOOSING POLITICS
The brothers were also asked whether they ever wished their father had chosen a quieter life after cricket rather than entering politics.
Sulaiman said they did not regret the decision. He described Imran’s desire to fight corruption, pull people out of poverty and improve Pakistan as central to his identity.
While he acknowledged that it would have been easier for the family if Imran had remained involved in cricket, Sulaiman said he admired his father’s ambition and believed politics was ultimately the life he wanted to lead.
STILL BACKING PAKISTAN AT LORD’S
The interview eventually returned to cricket, with Atherton asking the brothers who they would support at Lord’s given that both were born in England.
There was little hesitation. Despite their English upbringing, Sulaiman and Kasim made it clear that their cricketing loyalties remained with Pakistan.
For two sons whose father remains one of the most iconic figures in Pakistan’s cricket history, there was no question about which team they would be backing at Lord’s.
– Ends
