Daily Times

Former prime minister Imran Khan’s troubles abound as a court in Islamabad declares the petition filed by the ex-husband of his wife, Bushra Bibi, against his nikah as admissible and sends out a summons.

The Al-Qadir saga appears far from over in the wake of startling revelations by former federal minister Zubaida Jalal that Mr Khan had deliberately bulldozed cabinet suggestions and proceeded with a quid pro quid arrangement with Malik Riaz. His wife remains co-accused whose demands for a diamond ring from the real estate magnate were a part of a controversial phone recording. From the Toshakhana scandal to illegal postings and transfers to the unbelievable interplay of spiritual superstitions in matters of paramount importance, the Bushra factor is hard to ignore. That ex-chairman of PTI finds himself embroiled in a long series of unfortunate controversies has a lot to do with his maniac obsession with superstitions.

Whatsoever used to happen at Bani Gala and later at PM house cannot be explained by logic. In a spiritually rich country like Pakistan, it is extremely hard to find a politician or public figure who does not believe in superhuman knowledge or rely on good omens. There wouldn’t be any issues with this if it had stayed within the realm of his spiritual beliefs. However, Mr Khan surpassed them all; practically handing over the reins of a functional sovereign state to someone who neither had any credibility or expertise in the subject.

From the looks of it, the spirituality was spun around an extremely gullible politician under the guise of magically protecting him against the evil eye. Such was the desperation of a leader celebrated as a tsunami of hope, a breath of fresh air, by millions that he chose to buy whatever cock and bull story he was fed in a bid to reach the coveted throne. Many secrets about Bushra Bibi’s decisive influence during crucial moments of his political judgment are yet to unfold. One can, nevertheless, only hope that the horror show ends soon. *