Bushra Bibi emerged as a symbol of PTI protest.

ISLAMABAD: After recent protests by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a new figure has emerged: Bushra Bibi, wife of the party’s founding chairman Imran Khan.

Until now, she has rarely appeared in official photographs, shielded from view by large white sheets during court appearances and always wearing a face veil.

But after her release last month from Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, where her husband and former prime minister are still incarcerated, Khan’s third wife came to her defense and roused her fanatical followers.

“It was assumed that she was a non-political person, so she would not be a threat,” said analyst Asma Faiz, associate professor of political science at Lahore University of Management Sciences.

However, the events of the last few days have shown a different side of Bushra Bibi.

Islamabad faced gridlock on Monday and Tuesday after scores of PTI supporters flooded the federal capital, defying the ban imposed by the authorities.

A “do or die” protest by the former ruling party demanding Khan’s release ended with authorities arresting nearly 1,000 supporters.

PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja claimed the lives of at least 20 people and said that the party would approach the courts against the government, the home ministry and the home minister.

Meanwhile, Islamabad’s police chief, Ali Rizvi, denied that ammunition was used during the operation and said that 600 protesters were arrested in Tuesday’s operation, leading to a sit-in on Sunday. After that, the total number has increased to 954.

In the days leading up to the protest, Bushra Bibi made her first direct appeal to PTI supporters, pleading with them to defend Khan.

Amid clashes between protesters and security forces, she made an unexpected appearance on top of a truck in a motorcade, gaining notoriety ahead of other leaders.

“You have to promise by then. [Imran] Khan comes here, you don’t go,” he shouted to the crowd.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was clear about where he laid the blame for the chaos. He said that Bushra Bibi is only responsible.

Messenger of Imran Khan

A faith healer, Bushra and Khan became close when he turned to her for spiritual guidance in his political career. The couple married in 2018, the same year Khan was elected prime minister after an insurgent campaign that promised to change decades of dynastic politics.

She was arrested days before February’s general election for corruption and violating Islamic law by marrying Khan soon after the divorce.

“His relationship with Khan gives him legitimacy in the eyes of the protesters who are marching for Khan at the end of the day,” said Michael Kugelman, a director of the Wilson Center.

But his role could be divisive in a party that has struggled to retain a tough leadership with the PTI founder jailed.

“[Bushra] Bibi’s prominent position in the protests may be controversial because some party leaders are at odds with him, but his role actually helps advance the party’s dynamic goals, which are a key priority,” Kugelman said. added.

It was also the former first lady who encouraged the protesters to march to the center of the capital, despite the government saying that a senior PTI leader had already promised to stay within the city limits.

Khan downplayed his influence in comments he made to his team from jail and posted on social media.

It has “nothing to do with politics”, he said before the protest.

“Since she is my wife, she only conveys my messages,” he assured before the protests.

PTI’s media department echoed the comments on Thursday: “She led the protest as Mr Khan’s wife and not as the political leader of the party.”

Family politics

In Pakistan, many women have been suddenly thrust into politics: former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto during the coup against her father and Maryam Nawaz Sharif, granddaughter of current Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, after her father Nawaz Sharif was jailed. And then exiled.

Many have praised Bushra Bibi’s “courage” in harassing the crowd from the top of the container. But the new involvement of Khan’s wife is a double-edged sword for the PTI founder, whose sister Aleema Khan is also playing a growing role in the PTI.

Appearing as an outsider confronting the ethnic politics of the Bhutto and Sharif families, Pakistan’s new-age hero treads cautiously.