Bushra Bibi's march for Imran Khan is gone

Reuters

Imran Khan's wife, Bushra Bibi, encouraged protesters to head to the heart of Pakistan's capital, Islamabad.

A charred truck, empty tear gas canisters and posters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan: it was all that remained of a massive demonstration led by Khan's wife, Bushra Bibi, that had the entire capital in confinement.

Just a day earlier, healer Bibi – wrapped in a white shawl, her face covered in a white veil – stood atop a shipping container on the outskirts of town while thousands of her husband's devoted followers brandished flags and chanted slogans under her.

My children and my brothers! You must be on my side, she shouted Tuesday afternoon, her voice cutting through the deafening roar of the crowd.

But even if you don't, she continued, I will remain firm.

It's not just about my husband. It's about this country and its leader.

It was, some observers of Pakistani politics noted, his political debut.

But as the sun rose Wednesday morning, there was no sign of Bushra Bibi, nor of the thousands of protesters who had marched across the country to the heart of the capital, demanding the release of their imprisoned leader.

It is still unclear what exactly happened to the so-called final march and to Bushra Bibi, when the city went dark.

All eyewitnesses like Samia* can say with certainty that the lights went out suddenly, plunging D Chowk, the place where they had gathered, into darkness.

Reuters

A day after their arrival, the protesters dispersed, leaving Bibi's burned vehicle behind.

As loud screams and clouds of tear gas covered the square, Samia described holding her husband on the sidewalk, bloody from a gunshot to the shoulder.

“Everyone was running for their lives,” she later told BBC Urdu from a hospital in Islamabad, adding that it was “like the end of the world or a war.”

“His blood was on my hands and the screams were incessant.

But how could the tide turn so suddenly and decisively?

Hours earlier, the protesters finally reached D Chowk late Tuesday afternoon. They had overcome days of tear gas bombardment and a maze of barricaded roads to get to the city center.

Many of them were supporters and workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party led by Khan.

He called the march from his prison cell, where he has been for more than a year, on charges he says are politically motivated.

Now Bibi – his third wife, a woman largely shrouded in mystery and out of the public eye since their unexpected marriage in 2018 – was leading the charge.

We will not go back until Khan is with us, she said as the march reached D Chowk, in the heart of Islamabad's government district.

Reuters

Thousands of people marched for days to reach Islamabad, demanding the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

According to inside sources, even the choice of destination – a place where her husband had once led a successful sit-in – was Bibis, facing opposition from other party leaders and calls from the government to choose another assembly point.

His presence at the forefront may have been a surprise. Bibi, herself recently released from prison, is often described as private and apolitical. Little is known about her early life, other than that she was a spiritual guide long before meeting Khan. His teachings, rooted in Sufi traditions, attracted many followers, including Khan himself.

Was she venturing into politics – or was her sudden appearance in the thick of things a tactical move to keep Imran Khan's party afloat while he remains behind bars?

Critics said it was a move that ran counter to Imran Khan's oft-stated opposition to dynastic politics.

It didn't take long to think about the possibilities.

After the lights went out, witnesses say police began firing more tear gas canisters around 9:30 p.m. local time (4:30 p.m. GMT).

The repression was in full swing a little over an hour later.

At some point, amidst the chaos, Bushra Bibi left.

Videos on social media appeared to show her changing cars and leaving the scene. The BBC was unable to verify the footage.

By the time the dust settled, its container had already been set on fire by unknown persons.

Around 1 a.m., authorities said all protesters had fled.

Getty Images

Security was tight in the city, and by nightfall the lights were turned off, leaving many people in the dark as to what exactly happened next.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos, with tear gas fired and police rounding up protesters.

One of them, Amin Khan, said from behind an oxygen mask that he joined the march knowing that “either I will bring back Imran Khan or I will be shot.”

Authorities denied shooting at protesters. They also said some protesters were carrying guns.

The BBC has seen hospital records recording patients with gunshot wounds.

However, government spokesman Attaullah Tarar told the BBC that hospitals had denied taking in or treating victims of gunshot wounds.

He added that “all security personnel deployed on the ground” have been prohibited from holding live ammunition during the protests.

But one doctor told BBC Urdu he had never performed so many surgeries for gunshot wounds in one night.

“Some of the injured were in such critical condition that we had to carry out surgery immediately instead of waiting for anesthesia,” he said.

Although no official death toll has been released, the BBC has confirmed with local hospitals that at least five people have died.

Police say at least 500 protesters were arrested that night and are being held in police stations. PTI says some people are missing.

And one person in particular hasn't been seen for days: Bushra Bibi.

Getty Images

The next morning, the protesters had left, leaving behind only destroyed cars and broken windows.

She has abandoned us, said a PTI supporter.

Others defended her. It wasn't his fault, insisted another. She was forced to leave by party leaders.

Political commentators were more scathing.

His departure damaged his political career before it even began, said Mehmal Sarfraz, a journalist and analyst.

But was this really what she wanted?

Khan has previously dismissed any notion that his wife might have her own political ambitions – she is just passing on my messages, he said in a statement attributed to him on his X account.

EPA

Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, pictured here arriving at court in May 2023, married in 2018

Speaking to BBC Urdu, analyst Imtiaz Gul calls his participation “an extraordinary measure in extraordinary circumstances.”

Gul believes that Bushra Bibi's role today is only to keep the party and its workers active during Imran Khan's absence.

It's a sentiment shared by some PTI members, who believe she is intervening only because Khan trusts her deeply.

However, insiders had often whispered that she was pulling the strings behind the scenes – advising her husband on political appointments and guiding high-stakes decisions during his term.

A more direct intervention first came earlier this month, when she urged a meeting of PTI leaders to support Khan's call for a rally.

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif accused her of opportunism, saying she saw a future as a political leader.

But Asma Faiz, associate professor of political science at the University of Management Sciences in Lahore, suspects that the PTI leadership may simply have underestimated Bibi.

It was assumed that it was understood that she was an apolitical person and therefore would not pose a threat, she told the AFP news agency.

However, the events of recent days have shown another side of Bushra Bibi.

But what analysts and politicians think probably doesn't matter. Many PTI supporters still see her as their link to Imran Khan. It was clear that his presence was enough to electrify the base.

She is the one who really wants to get him out, says Asim Ali, a resident of Islamabad. I trust him. Absolutely!

Additional reporting by Joel Guinto and Yvette Tan

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