Pakistan Cricket Board complains to Sky Sports over Imran Khan sons' interview at Lord's Test

The Pakistan Cricket Board has lodged a formal complaint with Sky Sports after the broadcaster interviewed Imran Khan's sons during coverage of the second Test between England and Pakistan at Lord's.

Kasim and Sulaiman Khan used the airtime to raise concerns about the Pakistan government's treatment of their father, the former prime minister and World Cup-winning cricket captain, who has been held in solitary confinement for three years. The precise details of the PCB's complaint are not known, beyond the objection that Sky gave a platform to individuals critical of the Pakistani government (The Guardian).

Sky acknowledged the complaint but declined to comment further when contacted by the Guardian. The England and Wales Cricket Board was made aware of the PCB's grievances and also declined to comment.

The row at Lord's is the latest flashpoint in a case that has drawn the cricket world into questions far beyond the boundary. Imran Khan, who led Pakistan to the 1992 World Cup title before entering politics and becoming prime minister, is 73. His lawyers have described his living conditions as "slow-motion murder." His sister has claimed he has been tortured in prison. His legal team says he has lost 85% of the vision in his right eye as a result of his confinement.

The previous week, Khan was moved to a hospital for treatment after a supreme court ruling permitted his temporary release. He was subsequently returned to prison.

A group of former international cricketers has been pressing for humane treatment and proper medical care. The signatories include six former England captains, former India captain Kapil Dev, and former Australian batters Adam Gilchrist and Greg Chappell. After publishing a first letter in February, the group issued another calling for a full and independent assessment of Khan's health, with particular concern for his right eye. No Pakistani cricketers signed either letter.

Khan's sons have been seeking visas to visit him in Pakistan, citing his eyesight problems. As of February, they had not received approval (Reuters). They have also told an online news conference that Pakistan had ignored a supreme court ruling in his case (Financial Times).

For cricket fans, the collision at Lord's is an uncomfortable one. The sport's oldest venue, hosting a Test between England and Pakistan, became a stage for a political and human-rights dispute that no governing body can easily referee. The PCB's complaint puts a broadcaster in the position of deciding whose voices belong in cricket coverage and whose do not — a question that has no tidy answer when the subject is a man who once lifted the trophy this sport cherishes most.

Sky has not indicated whether it will alter its coverage for the remainder of the match.