Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s third wife Bushra Bibi is rumoured to have shifted to Lahore from Islamabad, the country’s capital, amid reports that their marriage is going through a rough phase.
Nearly 10 days ago, renowned political writer Najam Sethi revealed on television channel ‘24 News’ that his sources have said there is trouble in Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi’s marriage and friends and family are counseling them.
Khan has refuted the reports by declaring that this marriage is going to be his last innings, adding that Bushra was a ‘blessing from God’. Later, Sethi wished the couple a happy married life.
But the gossip mill points to some mysterious movements inside and outside Prime Minister Imran Khan’s house.
Also read: Imran Khan’s ex-wife Reham Khan writes on the real dog behind his latest matrimonial woes
Marriage of strange rituals & power peddling
But it’s not just his marriage. There is much more that’s going wrong for Imran Khan.
Inside the sprawling mansion Bani Gala is a story of an unusual marriage. There is talk of mysterious supernatural activities, something that Khan’s wife is known to believe in and take part in. There is also talk of slaughtered animals’ heads guarding the bedroom, the couple slathering black lentils on themselves, believing in strange superstitions, and worshipping animistic deities.
But more than this, it is what’s going on outside Imran Khan’s house that is beginning to haunt the marriage. And that is more about power games. It is an open chessboard: there is the mid-term election possibility hinted at by none other than PM Khan himself, courts granting bails to the Sharifs and Zardari, severity of differences among Khan’s top aides, and lobbying for the removal of Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar – Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi reportedly had a hand in his appointment.
There is the added worry about what the leniency towards Sharifs and Zardari means for the so-called anti-corruption Khan’s future. Some have started asking if the establishment may have made a U-turn too.
Reham Khan, ex-wife of the cricketer-turned-politician and a known journalist and author, says Imran Khan’s troubles are bigger than the unraveling of his marriage, although it is tied to it.
About reports of Imran-Bushra clash, she says: “I seriously doubt that it was just a typical spousal tiff that you see in every home. Imran Khan is a narcissist and is incapable of relationships like the rest of us. The relationships are just a means to an end. It could be a hint to a dispute, which has roots in Imran’s nervousness over whether he will be allowed to run the show after the budget [June 2019]. The recent faceoff with NAB [National Accountability Bureau] at Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif’s residence is further evidence of a very insecure Khan.”
Khan, who is believed to be superstitious, married Bushra Bibi — the mother of five is known as Pirni (a title used in Sunni/Brelvi Islam for a woman spiritual guide; men are called Pirs) — almost a year ago. It was his third marriage. Khan has been quoted by reports as saying that the marriage was more about spiritual connection than physical attraction.
Some mysterious people around him led him to believe that he will solve all the problems faced by the entire Muslim Ummah, including Pakistan’s. Under the strict guidance of spiritual leaders, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) fought the general elections of July 2018 and ultimately won the polls with a slender majority. He took oath as the country’s prime minister in August 2018.
While ‘spiritual healers’ may claim that Khan won because of their prayers, opposition parties are clear that he came to power with the ‘blessings’ of the country’s powerful military establishment.
Naturally, he was supposed to fulfil the expectations of both sides. Famous for his unexpected moves and arrogant nature, Khan, however, has failed to perform any miracle for his fawning fans so far. And trouble is now brewing on every front.
Also read: Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Maneka says he doesn’t have a magic wand
The trouble called Usman Buzdar
Many believe the problems started with Usman Buzdar, the chief minister of Pakistan’s biggest province Punjab, whose name was finalised by Bushra Bibi either by Istikhara (a religious practice to seek guidance from Allah) or due to Buzdar’s family links with the elder daughter of Bushra’s ex-husband.
Days after Buzdar’s appointment, his cabinet members at private discussions started calling him incapable. He has only reinforced the criticism by his comedic press conferences, which display his utter lack of experience.
He is now the butt of memes in Pakistan. But there are serious allegations too. He interfered in the transfer of a police officer who stopped Bushra’s former husband at a blockade. This matter has even been taken up in the court.
The calls for Buzdar’s removal have peaked now. Imran Khan has already conveyed his displeasure at Buzdar’s move of giving pay hike to Punjab assembly lawmakers. Khan reminded Buzdar of his party’s austerity pledge and asked him to not sign the bill.
Buzdar’s troubles are only likely to grow because the media is sniffing a controversy over the renewal of lease for government land.
As the clamour for his removal builds up, Khan was recently forced to indicate through his aides that he is not sacking Buzdar.
The heat on him is perhaps the most worrying point for Bushra. And that is affecting the marriage and leading to marital arguments, observers say.
Also read: Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Maneka most Googled person in Pakistan in 2018
The Sharifs and the Zardaris
But it would be unfair to link ‘Imran’s nervousness’ with only the Buzdar issue when there are a plethora of other troubles.
Now that all the ‘corrupts’ whom Khan had attacked – Sharifs of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Zardari-Bhuttos of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) – have been granted bail by the country’s top courts, what happens to his political future?
Nawaz Sharif was granted bail for six weeks by the Supreme Court on 26 March on medical grounds, and he is unlikely to be moved to jail again because of his ‘day-by-day increasing health complications’. Opposition leader and younger brother of Nawaz, Shehbaz Sharif, went to London Wednesday morning after being granted bail in all ‘corruption cases’ and his name being removed from the exit control list.
The Lahore High Court also granted pre-arrest bail to Punjab Assembly opposition leader Hamza Shahbaz in cases of money laundering and assets beyond means. Salman Shehbaz, his brother, who is also wanted in the ‘corruption’ cases by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), is already in London.
Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the outspoken daughter of PML-N supremo, is mysteriously silent and has not uttered a word on politics for months. She only spoke up to defend her daughter after a social media post went viral.
Also read: Phone switched off, no tweets: Modern Pakistan is missing Maryam Nawaz
PPP’s Asif Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur’s bails were extended Wednesday in fake bank accounts case. Zardari’s son and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto is not only free to move anywhere but has been on a train picking up followers by the minute.
These developments show that Pakistan’s powerful military establishment is worried about Khan’s performance and wants to keep other options on standby.
The author is a Lahore based journalist. He writes on religion, politics, culture, agriculture and Partition. He can be reached @imiftikharalam