PCB Complains to Sky Sports Over Interview with Imran Khan’s Sons
The Pakistan Cricket Board has lodged a formal complaint with Sky Sports after the broadcaster aired an interview with Imran Khan’s sons during coverage of the second Test at Lord’s, dragging a fraught political battle into the middle of a marquee cricket series.
The interview with Kasim and Sulaiman Khan was shown on the first day’s play and quickly cut through the usual mix of swing analysis and pitch reports. Khan’s children used the platform to criticise the Pakistan government over its treatment of the former prime minister, who has spent the past three years in solitary confinement.
Their comments echoed a growing chorus around the 73-year-old’s condition. His lawyers have described his incarceration as “slow-motion murder”, pointing to what they say are brutal living conditions. His sister has alleged he has been tortured in prison. Last week, Khan was briefly moved to a hospital for treatment after a supreme court ruling allowed a temporary release, only to be returned to jail shortly afterwards.
The PCB’s complaint centres on Sky’s decision to hand airtime to voices openly critical of the Pakistani authorities. The board has not publicly detailed the contents of its grievance, but the implication is clear: it believes a cricket broadcast strayed into territory it considers politically sensitive, and did so at Pakistan’s expense.
Sky has acknowledged receiving the complaint. It chose not to elaborate when contacted by the Guardian, declining to offer any explanation or defence of the editorial call.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has also been informed of the PCB’s concerns. The ECB, too, has opted for silence, refusing to comment on a dispute that touches both on broadcast rights and on the increasingly blurred line between sport and politics.
While boards and broadcasters keep their counsel, some of the game’s most decorated figures have been anything but quiet. Khan’s situation has prompted two joint letters from a group of former greats, demanding “humane treatment and proper medical care” for the World Cup-winning captain.
The signatories read like a roll call of cricket royalty: six former England captains, former India captain Kapil Dev, and former Australian batters Adam Gilchrist and Greg Chappell among them. Their first letter was published in February. This week they followed up, calling for “a full and independent assessment of his health”, with a particular focus on his right eye.
According to Khan’s lawyers, he has already lost 85% of the vision in that eye, damage they directly link to the conditions in which he is being held.
One detail stands out in the global response. Not a single Pakistani cricketer has signed the letters.
