I have the highest respect for former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife Bushra bibi.
But first I must make a confession.
I had in the past ridiculed her on twitter etc by calling her ‘pinky peerni’, who does ‘jaadu tona’, and by saying that she has two djinns in a bottle which she takes out at midnight to feed meat to them, that she roasts live chicken at midnight to feed these djinns, that one cannot see her face in a mirror ( implying she is a vampire ), and similar poppycock.
Though all this was said as a joke, yet I am ashamed of saying such nonsense. I am guilty of throwing mud and casting aspersions on the character of a noble lady, which I should never have done, and I can never forgive myself for saying all this rubbish and baloney..
The media, which only seeks ‘mirch masaala’, made all sorts of false and fantastic allegations to malign her, alleging that she was controlling her husband, and that he only does what she orders ( as her diary allegedly revealed ).
It was alleged that she practices ‘kaala jaadu’.
It was alleged that she married Imran Khan before completing the perid of iddat following her divorce with her previous husband ( an allegation she denied in her interview by Nadeem Malik, to whom she said she married him 7 months after her divorce ).
Even allegations of corruption have been made against her
There were even allegations that she had deserted her husband and has left her home
I have carefully considered all these allegations, and I agree with senior advocate Sardar Latif Khosa that Bushra bibi is a very good woman, and all these allegations against her are false and figments of the imagination of some people, particularly mediapersons who only want to melodramatize and publish ‘mirch masaala’.
I am convinced that she is a simple housewife, loyal to her husband. Of course it may be that on some occasions she may have given advice to Imran Khan, but which wife does not ? This not mean that she controls him. Her interview to the eminent journalist Nadeem Malik reveals her devotion to her husband, and her desire to serve the poor
I believe she is a pious lady and would not do wrong things, and that is why Imran Khan married her after meeting her in Baba Farid dargah. Imran Khan is a mature person who has seen the world, and would not have married her unless he found her a lady of high character. Imran Khan has said that, “the character of a person and the mind is much more important than the physical aspect, because in my experience that has the smallest shelf life ”, and he has referenced his respect for his wife based on her intellect and character.
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Bushra has been described as an introvert who maintains a low profile, and prefers to stay at home rather than attending social functions and gatherings ( though she often visits hospitals, orphanages etc ), to which Imran Khan admittedly has no objections, as he said he is himself “past the age of socialising”. According to Khan, his two sons have met Bushra, while he has also had time to get to know Bushra’s children following their marriage. Bushra has also clarified that she is not present on social media and any accounts attributed to her are fake.
Even her previous husband said after their divorce in 2018 “I want to clearly state about my former wife, Bushra Bibi, that I have not seen a woman as pious as her in the world”
Bushra bibi has been loyally standing by her husband in his hour of trial, and has protected his honour. This is proved by the fact that when some guards at Attock jail asked her ( when she came to meet her husband ) to give them money and they would supply good food to Imran Khan, she refused, knowing that this would later be played up as an attempt of bribery.
I salute this noble woman. Shame on those seeking to assassinate her character.
Markandey Katju is an Indian jurist and former Supreme Court judge of India who served as chairman for the Press Council of India. He has also worked as Standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department.
The views expressed in the article are the author’s own and do not represent the editorial policy or views of Global Village Space.