Bushra Bibi’s ‘Saudi’ remarks stir havoc in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The remarks made by former first lady Bushra Bibi about Saudis allegedly being unhappy with General Bajwa for bringing Imran Khan along, because he was walking barefoot in Madina during his visit to Saudi Arabia, became the hottest topic of discussion throughout Pakistan on Friday.

From social media to mainstream media, and from drawing rooms to tea houses, Bushra Bibi remained the centre of attention, with people commenting both for and against her remarks.

In a video message posted to X on Thursday, Bushra Bibi referred to an alleged incident in Saudi Arabia, stating that when Imran Khan returned home after walking barefoot in the holy city, General Bajwa started receiving calls of disapproval. She said Bajwa was told, “who have you brought? We don’t want such individuals … you have brought someone advocating for it [Shariah].”

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was quick to reject Bushra’s statement. Barrister Dr Saif, on Friday, said, “She does not hold any party position, therefore, her statements don’t represent the party’s stance. The party policy can only be defined by the chairman, secretary general, or spokesperson.”

On the other hand, the federal government gave a furious response to the statement and termed it “great enmity against Pakistan.” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while addressing a ceremony in Islamabad on Friday, said, “A statement has come out yesterday, which I think there can be no greater enmity against Pakistan than this.”

He termed this act as spewing venom against a country that has always opened its doors for Pakistan and never expected anything in return.

Also Read: Gen (retd) Bajwa rubbishes Bushra Bibi’s claim

Similar statements were made by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

Political analysts are of the view that Bushra’s Saudi remarks have caused severe damage to Imran Khan, which will be difficult to amend. They believe that his wife has given the government yet another chance to grill Imran Khan. Not just Imran Khan, but the entire PTI is expected to bear the brunt, they speculate.

Similarly, overseas PTI supporters believes that Imran Khan’s wife has dealt him a major blow by giving such an irresponsible statement at this crucial time when the party was all set to respond to the ‘final call’ of their leader on November 24.

Meanwhile, PTI is striving to mitigate the negative impact of Bushra’s remarks. The party also took the stance that her statement is being misinterpreted. “Bushra Bibi did not directly or indirectly name the leadership or government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in her message, nor is there any possibility of doing so,” PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said in his post on X.

He clarified that PTI views Pakistan’s relations with Saudi Arabia with great respect and dignity and wants to further strengthen their brotherly ties.

However, many analysts believe that such clarifications from PTI cannot undo the situation; she said what she said, and the damage her statement could cause has already been done.