Imran Khan's Sons Accuse PCB of Censorship at Lord's
At Lord’s, where Pakistan’s cricket story has so often intertwined with its politics, the latest flashpoint did not come from the middle. It came from the broadcast.
The sons of former Pakistan captain and ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan have launched a fierce attack on Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi after reports that the board threatened to pull the team off the field during the second Test against England unless a TV interview with them was taken down.
The interview, conducted by former England captain Michael Atherton and aired on Sky Sports, featured Sulaiman and Kasim Khan speaking candidly about their father’s health and his conditions in prison. What followed, according to reports, was an extraordinary reaction: a warning that Pakistan would not resume play after lunch on day one at Lord’s if the segment remained on air.
In a week that should have been about swing, seam and a packed Pavilion, Pakistan’s cricket establishment instead found itself accused of censorship and political pressure on foreign soil.
‘They're clearly hoping to kill him in there’
With Naqvi under growing scrutiny, the spotlight swung sharply to the claims made by Imran Khan’s sons about their father’s treatment and isolation.
Kasim did not temper his words.
“They're clearly hoping to kill him in there. They want to silence him as secretly as possible and just slowly make him fade into nothing,” he said, alleging that the authorities were trying to erase the country’s most recognisable political figure from public life.
“That's a very difficult thing to do with the most popular person in Pakistan right now. Their strategy, whenever we speak, is to let everything fizzle out and then impose more brutal restrictions that make it even harder for him to survive.”
Sulaiman and Kasim painted a picture of solitary confinement and uncertainty, insisting that their father’s health is deteriorating and that those in charge are tightening the screws each time the family speaks out.
‘They made absolute fools of themselves’
If the PCB hoped to avoid controversy at one of the game’s most traditional venues, the sons believe its response did the opposite.
Kasim, speaking to The Telegraph on Sunday, was scathing about the board’s reported threat over the Lord’s broadcast.
“They made absolute fools of themselves,” he said, arguing that the attempt to suppress a humanitarian interview during a marquee Test had only deepened the embarrassment.
Sulaiman admitted he anticipated some backlash, but not the level of brinkmanship described in the reports.
“I was expecting some sort of response. But I didn't think they would be so tactless as to threaten not to take to the field,” he said.
For him, the core issue was not political messaging but the right to speak about his father’s welfare.
“It shouldn't be in the remit of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to ask for an interview about an ex-Pakistan player, somebody who lived in England for 22 years, to be taken down. This wasn't about politics, but about the humanitarian situation and his health.”
The symbolism was stark: the son of a World Cup-winning captain speaking at Lord’s, and the board that once celebrated his father’s legacy now accused of trying to silence his family on the global stage.
Authorities deny mistreatment, family demands proof
Pakistani authorities have consistently rejected allegations of mistreatment, insisting that Imran Khan is receiving appropriate medical care in custody. Official lines have stressed that his health is being monitored and managed.
Sulaiman does not accept those assurances at face value.
“The worrying theory we're hearing is that they're drip-feeding these reports of his ailing health and pretending that they're trying to help him, just to lay the ground for something worse to happen. Then they can wash their hands and say: 'He's just an old man who died, and we had nothing to do with it,’” he said.
For the family, the problem is not only what they are told, but what they are not allowed to see.
“They haven't given us proof of any of this. It's all just hearsay from government sources – there's no transparency, they don't want to give anyone access, so how are we supposed to believe any of it?” Sulaiman added.
He pointed to a chilling benchmark: the last piece of information they consider truly verifiable came directly from Imran himself, half a year ago.
“The last verifiable piece of information we had was from him, six months ago, when he spoke about his eye and how it had been neglected.”
Cricket caught in the crossfire
What began as a Test match at the home of cricket has turned into a case study in how deeply Pakistan’s political turmoil now runs through its sporting institutions.
A board accused of using the threat of walking off at Lord’s to control a television interview. A family accusing the state of trying to “make him fade into nothing.” Authorities insisting all is well while refusing the kind of transparency the sons demand.
For Pakistan cricket, and for Mohsin Naqvi in particular, the question now is blunt: can the game keep its distance from the storm around Imran Khan, or has that line already been crossed beyond repair?
