Former Pakistani cricketer Imran Khan is planning to bring Bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan , Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan to Pakistan for charity shows to raise funds for the new Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital. Named after his mother, Imran Khan plans to build the hospital in Karachi at the end of this year.

He already has the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research centre in Lahore that dispenses free medication and treatment to 75 per cent of its patients.

Speaking from London, Khan confirmed the event. “Yes, we are planning to hold two shows in Karachi and Lahore. Bollywood stars have always been a big draw in Pakistan.

When we launched an appeal to raise funds for the hospital in Lahore in 1989, stars like Vinod Khanna, Rekha and Kabir Bedi supported it.

Because they had launched an appeal, we were able to raise funds to construct the cancer hospital in Lahore.

Now, for the Karachi hospital, we plan to kick-off another appeal with mega stars like Shah Rukh, Aamir, Salman, Aishwarya and Amitabh Bachchan who are very popular in Pakistan.”

When asked if Khan had contacted any of the stars, he said, “Well, I had spoken to Shah Rukh, Aamir, Salman and Bachchan earlier, but political relations then had not been conducive to having any shows.

Now, with the easing of tensions, everyone has realised that there was no hostility between the people, only political issues raised by our leaders.

With the thawing of relations and the feeling of warmth and affection between India and Pakistan, the time is right to hold such shows and I shall be speaking to the stars.”

He plans to hold the shows August-September. Khan wants to open a cancer hospital in Karachi because “one hospital in Lahore is not enough. It can’t provide treatment to so many patients. The treatment of cancer is very expensive and not just beyond the reach of the poor but also the middle-class.”

Khan, who is chairman of the hospital board, has the land in Karachi and permissions, but is waiting for funds to come in. The board has a Friends Committee that is responsible for the fundraisers and charity events. The Committee recently organised the Daler Mehndi and Hema Malini shows in Dubai.

Though Aishwarya Rai is touring with stage shows in North America, her secretary Hari Singh said, “We were approached by someone from Pakistan to do a charity event. This year it is almost impossible to go as we are fully booked for film shoots, but why not?”