PTI's core, political committees question Bushra Bibi's role

• Committees call for inquiry regarding decision to reach D-Chowk.
• They urge to look to into why were Imran Khan's directions ignored.
• Participants abstain from defending former first lady Bushra Bibi.
  

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) core committee and its political committee Wednesday discussed the role of Bushra Bibi in the party's decision-making and raised the question of who had defied Imran Khan's direction of holding a sit-in at Sangjani, who made the protest rally march to D-Chowk and whose decision led to the killing of party workers.

Party sources said the core committee and political committee held their deliberations separately and in both the forums, different party leaders talked about the role of Bushra.

These committees strongly condemned the alleged killing of PTI protesters by the government and demanded setting up a judicial commission to probe the matter.

According to a source, the figures of dead PTI workers as discussed in these committees were varied citing different sources, mostly inauthentic.

Besides taking on the government for these killings, it was urged that an inquiry be held within the party to fix responsibility on those whose decision to march to D-Chowk led to the workers' deaths.

It was said when Khan had directed that the party should hold a sit-in at Sangjani, on the outskirts of Islamabad, on whose order the protest rally was led to D-Chowk, Islamabad.

Why was Khan's direction ignored and who acted against the PTI founder's order?

All such queries were raised on the role of Bushra but in none of these two PTI committees, no one defended Khan’s wife.

Instead, it was said that decision-making should be left to the political leadership and not to non-political persons.

It was also discussed in these party forums if Khan's direction had been followed, there would have been a sit-in at Sangjani and it would not only have avoided the killing of party workers but would have also led to the initiation of a formal dialogue between the government and PTI.

Interestingly, several top party leaders had reservations not only about the date — November 24 — announced by Khan for the protest march to Islamabad but they later also tried to discuss with the PTI founder the option of calling off the protest in view of the IHC decision.

However, they were not allowed to meet Khan in Adiala jail by the authorities.

Originally published in The News