Former Bangladesh cricketer and ex-Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) general secretary Syed Ashraful Huq has voiced concern over the treatment of former Pakistan prime minister and cricket great Imran Khan, joining a growing chorus from the cricketing world calling for his welfare to be prioritised.
Imran, 73, has remained in prison at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since his removal from office in 2022 amid multiple legal cases. His family and legal team have raised concerns over his prison conditions, access to medical care and restrictions on meetings, allegations that Pakistani authorities have rejected.
Syed Ashraful is the first prominent name from Bangladesh cricket to speak up for Imran, with whom he shares a friendship which dates back to 1971 when the future Pakistan captain visited Dhaka with the Lahore Under-19 team.
Earlier, a group of 23 former international captains had sent a letter to the Pakistan government, urging to ensure proper care for Imran. Later, current Australia Test captain Pat Cummins and Imran’s teammate and former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad also spoke up on the matter.
The statement from Syed Ashraful is as follows:
“Imran Khan is a highly respected individual throughout the world. His only motive of joining politics in Pakistan was to get rid of the corruption that is in Pakistan. He had a clear mandate from the people to lead the country. To keep him in jail in inhumane conditions is not what the world wants or not what any civilised nation would want. It is completely illegal in terms of human rights and how unconstitutional it is. The treatment of Imran Khan amounts to barbarism.
“I have known Imran Khan from February 1971, when he had come to play for Lahore Under-19 team to play in Dhaka. He was a bright young fellow. He used to bowl really fast in those days, but I remember he ended up scoring a century against us. We became friends during that match, and since then, we have always remained in touch.
“After our independence, Imran and I would meet when we were both studying in England. I would visit him in Oxford University’s Keble College, where sometimes he used to play hockey too. I visited him in India when Pakistan used to tour for Test series. We met in other parts of the world, and our friendship continued after he joined politics also.
“Whenever I met him in the latter years, I used to fear for his life due to political rivalry. But him being a God-fearing man, he used to tell me, "Ash, if I am destined to die like that, I will die like that. You cannot save me, nobody can save me. It's Allah’s will. So if a bullet is written in my name, it will go through me. So why should I get worried about it and forget about principles in life?"
“I remember how he was the first politician from Pakistan who insisted that they apologise for all their atrocities in 1971.
“I have met his family too on plenty of occasions and fondly remember how we all went on a boat ride in the Buriganga river in Dhaka in the 1990s. Imran could have led a family life, but he gave all that up because of his principles.
“He wanted something good to be done in Pakistan. The way he is being treated, it is inhumane. Look at the outcry in the whole world. Everyone is saying that this is not the right thing to do. I think we all should unite and try and get some relief for him, at least.”