A new report by the British magazine The Economist alleges that Bushra Bibi, wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, exerted significant political and spiritual influence over important government decisions during Khan’s tenure.
Authored by senior journalists Owen Bennett and Bushra Taskeen, the report claims Bushra Bibi influenced in making government as well as political appointments and policies, with Imran’s decision-making often appearing to rely on spiritual guidance.Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
The report further claims that Imran placed greater emphasis on superstition and spiritual advice than politics, and that he married Bushra, his spiritual mentor, believing it would help him ascend to the prime ministership. Bushra’s influence, the report suggests, extended deeply into both his personal life and political strategy.
According to The Economist, household staff were asked to procure specific items for what were described as her “spiritual operations”. The report alleges that even the prime minister’s aircraft could not take off without her approval once.
The magazine also highlights how Bushra’s political and spiritual clout sometimes extended to high-level government appointments and policy decisions, adding another layer of complexity to Pakistan’s already tense political landscape.
It further said that the strained relationship between Imran’s government and the military was further complicated by Bushra’s role, with her influence continuing to be a point of contention as Pakistan navigates its ongoing political turmoil.
Responding, the PTI claimed that the report, widely circulated on social media, was nothing more than recycled propaganda masquerading as foreign commentary.
An official response, issued by the party’s media wing, claimed that co-writer Bushra Taskeen was a known critic of PTI and the “so-called” analysis published in the report was to justify political victimisation and distract attention from real crises about human rights violations, economic collapse, constitutional violations and stolen elections.
The party said it had the right to initiate legal action against all parties involved, including the writers and publication, if they fail to issue an immediate, full, and public apology.
“We have seen this narrative play out before. Half-truths, innuendo, selective outrage, all packaged and presented as ‘objective analysis’. This attempt to misrepresent facts is not intended to inform Pakistan or its people, but rather to justify political victimisation and distract attention from real crises about human rights violations, economic collapse, constitutional violations and systematically stolen elections,” it claimed.
“What is most striking is the convenient targeting of Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, who have been incarcerated for two years and three months, while the article remains silent on what has been happening in Pakistan for the last three years and seven months. There is no mention of human rights violations, the rigged elections confirmed even by the Commonwealth observers, the hundreds of PTI supporters who have recently been convicted to 10-year sentences in fabricated cases, or the systematic political persecution the party has faced.