Pakistan Cricket Board Complains to Sky Sports Over Imran Khan Interview

The Pakistan Cricket Board has lodged a formal complaint with Sky Sports after the broadcaster aired an interview with Imran Khan’s sons during the first day of the second Test at Lord’s, dragging the politics of Pakistan’s most divisive figure directly into the heart of a global cricket broadcast.

Kasim and Sulaiman Khan, speaking during Sky’s coverage, used the platform to criticise the Pakistan government’s treatment of their father, the former prime minister and World Cup-winning captain, who has spent the past three years in solitary confinement. Their appearance cut sharply across the usual boundaries of a Test match broadcast, where political controversy is typically kept at arm’s length.

Khan’s legal team have described his conditions in jail as “slow-motion murder”. His sister has alleged he has been tortured. At 73, the former Pakistan captain has become the subject of intense international concern, not only as a political prisoner but as one of the game’s most famous figures.

Last week, a supreme court ruling allowed Khan temporary release for medical treatment and he was moved to a hospital. That respite was brief. He has since been returned to prison, with his supporters arguing that his health is deteriorating rapidly.

The exact wording of the PCB’s complaint remains under wraps. What is clear is the crux of their objection: Sky, in the board’s view, handed valuable airtime to voices openly critical of the sitting government in Islamabad. For a national board whose fortunes are closely tied to state power, that is no small matter.

Sky has acknowledged receiving the complaint but, when approached by the Guardian, declined to comment. The England and Wales Cricket Board has also been informed of the PCB’s stance and has likewise chosen not to make any public statement.

Away from the broadcast row, concern for Khan has been building among some of the sport’s most recognisable names. A group of legendary former cricketers has now issued two joint letters appealing for “humane treatment and proper medical care” for the man who led Pakistan to the 1992 World Cup.

The signatories include six former England captains, former India captain Kapil Dev, and former Australia batters Adam Gilchrist and Greg Chappell. Their first letter appeared in February. A second, released this week, escalated the urgency, demanding “a full and independent assessment of his health”, with particular emphasis on the condition of his right eye.