On Wednesday, the core and political committees of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) deliberated on Bushra Bibi’s role in the party’s decision-making process. They raised questions about who defied Imran Khan’s instructions to hold a sit-in at Sangjani, who led the protest rally to D-Chowk, and whose decision resulted in the deaths of PTI workers.
Sources within the party said the core and political committees met separately, and both forums saw different leaders discussing Bushra Bibi’s involvement. The committees strongly condemned the alleged killings of PTI protesters by the government and called for the establishment of a judicial commission to investigate the matter.
One source revealed that the number of PTI workers reported dead varied across different sources, most of which were deemed unreliable. Besides criticizing the government for the deaths, the committees also urged the party to conduct an internal inquiry to hold accountable those responsible for the decision to march to D-Chowk, which led to the fatalities.
The discussions raised the question of why Khan’s directive to hold a sit-in at Sangjani was ignored, and who was responsible for directing the protest to D-Chowk in defiance of his order.
Bushra Bibi’s role came under scrutiny, but neither committee defended her actions. Instead, it was emphasized that decision-making should be left to the political leadership, not to non-political figures.
It was also noted that had Khan’s directive been followed, the sit-in at Sangjani could have prevented the deaths of PTI workers and potentially sparked formal dialogue between the government and PTI.
Interestingly, several senior party leaders had concerns about the timing of the November 24 protest march and even sought to discuss the possibility of canceling it after the IHC’s decision. However, they were prevented from meeting Khan in Adiala jail by the authorities.
