LONDON/DUBAI: The sister of the former first lady, Maryam Riaz Wattoo, has revealed that former prime minister Imran Khan once thanked her for introducing him to his third wife — Maryam’s younger sister Buhsra Bibi — and for changing his life, giving it a new direction.
Bushra is currently serving a jail term. Her husband, Khan, is also jailed in the same prison.
In an interview with this reporter in Dubai, Maryam confirmed that she was the one who introduced Khan to Bushra in 2015 for spiritual guidance.
She told Geo News: "Imran Khan emailed me and said, 'I am thankful to you that you changed my life'. I still have that email with me."
Maryam knew Khan long before as a staunch Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) worker based in Dubai. She met Khan during various party events and was in regular communications with him when she was appointed the advisor of PTI overseas chapters for MENA region.
She has been so passionate about the PTI that she made special trips to Islamabad from Dubai to attend the 2014 dharna. She describes herself as a patriot and says that her work with PTI is always for the progress of Pakistan.
It's understood that Bushra' introduction to Khan started in the middle of 2015, and the rest is history.
Maryam, who is a respected educationist and a data scientist, is known for her outspoken views, and PTI leadership has expressed concerns about her views on social media.
However, she is unapologetic and says her primary focus has been to defend her sister and her brother-in-law as she sees fit.
If the party fails to make strategic decisions, it could create hurdles towards the release of Khan, Bushra and hundreds of other political prisoners.
She made headlines when she claimed her sister was being poisoned in jail. She says: "I am sure that she was being poisoned, and she was not provided medical care for eight weeks when she fell seriously sick due to the poisoning.
"After eight weeks, when the tests were allowed, the video of the endoscopy was not provided to the family despite repeated requests through family and lawyers. Instead, claims were made that Bushra Imran was not poisoned."
She asked: "If she were not poisoned, then why was the endoscopy video not shared?"
Maryam created a storm last year in November when Bushra led a march on Islamabad for her husband's release and had to retreat amid a heavy crackdown. That led to several in the PTI blaming the leadership for the debacle.
She openly blamed the KP leadership. She told this reporter: "Bushra Imran Khan didn't leave the venue of her own free will. She was removed by force. Chemicals were thrown at the car; live bullets were fired on her, but she still refusing the leave. She is not in the media so I had to give her side of the story. Peaceful protesters were fired upon."
Maryam said Bushra didn't know where she was being taken in Ali Amin Gandapur's vehicle. "For two days, she didn't have a phone. She was not aware that a press conference was taking place or that a press talk was being planned. The family was not allowed to speak to her for two days."
When the two sisters finally spoke, Bushara told Maryam she was aware of what had happened and who had conspired and let her down. "She told me she will tell everything to Imran Khan, and she did."
Khan threw his full weight behind Bushra and said she acted on his instructions and in his interests — for his release.
So, is there some magic involved that Bushra Bibi holds so much influence over Khan and Khan calls her "my murshid". Maryam said all this talk about black magic, goats being sacrificed, blood being splattered around and spooky stories are "nonsense".
She said: "My sister doesn't believe in these things. Imran Khan calls her his murshid (leader and spiritual guide) because Bushra Imran Khan is very religious. She has a great knowledge of the Holy Quran, Hadiths and the history of Islam.
"It's due to her knowledge that Imran Khan calls her ‘murshid’ and consults her in religious matters. She is a very intelligent, kind-hearted person and feels for others.
"When Khan was the premier, one would hardly see her in any events; she was seen at old homes and orphanages. She spends most of her time in Ibaadat, but some people associated witchcraft with her. This is disgusting."
Maryam has no intention of backing down. "I will defend my sister and my brother-in-law in every possible way. It's about the family. There's no politics here."