'No one treats a human being like that’: Ravi Shastri voices concern over Imran Khan’s jail treatment

Former India cricketer and head coach Ravi Shastri has expressed concern over the treatment of former Pakistan prime minister and World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan, saying that “no one treats a human being like that”.

Speaking about Khan’s situation, Shastri said he was not commenting from a political perspective but on humanitarian grounds.

“I’m not a politician. But just to see the way Imran Khan is being treated today is shocking. You know, no one treats a human being like that. On humanitarian grounds, I don’t think he deserves what he’s getting,” Shastri said.

“So I don’t speak just for myself. I think there’ll be a lot of cricketers around the globe who will be echoing the same sentiments,” he added.

Shastri also recalled Khan’s achievements as a cricketer and captain, particularly his leadership of Pakistan to its maiden World Cup title in 1992.

Khan, 73, has remained in jail since August 2023 and is currently being held at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. He has faced multiple cases and convictions since his arrest, while Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have denied wrongdoing in the cases and maintained that the legal proceedings are politically motivated.

His continued imprisonment has also become a central issue in PTI’s ongoing political campaign. Thousands of PTI supporters have launched a long march towards Islamabad, demanding Khan’s release after talks between the party and the federal government failed to resolve a dispute over access to the jailed former premier.

The march, led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, began from the province on Monday, with authorities taking security measures in Islamabad to prevent protesters from entering the capital.