Recently there has been a lot of unrest in Pakistan. Supporters of the country's jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan defied the government-announced lockdown and police resistance to launch massive protests demanding his release.
Bushra Bibi became the central face or 'mediator' of this protest. Who is best known as the third wife of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan.
Bushra Bibi recently entered the capital Islamabad with thousands of PTI supporters. They crossed the government's tight security barricades and gathered at the historic D-Chok on Tuesday.
At that time Bushra Bibi spoke for the first time to the public standing on top of a truck. He promised everyone to sit there till Imran Khan is released.
Bushra Bibi said, you have to promise that you will not leave D-chowk till Khan sahib comes to us.
Bushra Bibi's insistence on protesting in central or capital areas of Pakistan, rather than organizing protests on the outskirts of Islamabad on the orders of Imran Khan, is largely indicative of her growing role in the PTI's strategy, Reuters reported.
However, due to the police operation there, Bushra Bibi had to flee to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. This province is mainly known as the stronghold of PTI.
Who is Bushra Bibi?
This woman named Bushra Riaz Watto originally took the title of her husband after marrying Imran Khan. It is Imran Khan and his supporters who call her 'Bushra Bibi' or 'Bushra Begum'. Which basically shows his respect.
Not much is known about Bushra's early life, a member of a Punjabi zamindar family.
In 2018, she secretly married PTI founder Imran Khan. This is basically Imran Khan's third marriage and Bushra's second marriage. Bushra was previously married to her first husband for almost 30 years.
However, after marrying Imran, a case was filed against them for not fulfilling the 'iddat' period of her previous divorce. Which was rejected by the court in October this year.
Bushra Bibi usually appears in public by covering herself in a loose black or white abaya (type of veil) and covering her face. He is a devoted follower of Fariduddin Masud Ganjshakar (Peer Baba Farid). whose shrine is located in Pakpattan, the town of her first husband.
The time or circumstances of Bushra Bibi's introduction to Imran Khan is not clear. But according to former associate Aun Chowdhury, Imran Khan was impressed by her (Bushra Bibi) spirituality.
Imran's detractors, however, allege that he is a master of sorcery. However, Imran Khan's associates have been denying this allegation.
Pakistan has a rich tradition of women leadership in politics. The women of the country have played an important role for the party in the past by agitating for the release of their loved ones who were political prisoners.
For example, Benazir Bhutto, the first woman Prime Minister of Pakistan. She bravely protested after her father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was arrested and sentenced to death by the military government.
Similarly, Bushra Bibi has now emerged as a de facto leader of the PTI without holding any official position.
According to political analyst Mazhar Abbas, Bushra Bibi's position in politics is different and the government is also targeting her.
According to PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari, Bushra Bibi still wants freedom in her personal life. If he is leading the protest, it is at the behest of Imran Khan and the people must heed his call and unite. Because she is the wife of PTI founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
According to experts, Bushra Bibi may have become a symbol of the movement in Pakistan during Imran Khan's imprisonment.
According to Michael Kugelman, director of the Wilson Center's South Asia Institute, placing Bushra Bibi at the forefront of the protests is essentially a strategic move by the PTI. Because her husband. His relationship with Imran Khan gave him a fair footing in PTI's movement.
(via Reuters and NDTV)
