The magazine refers to this as “Pakistan’s game of thrones,” placing at its center Bushra Bibi, the reclusive and spiritually influential wife of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.
Bushra Bibi is depicted as an enigmatic figure whose veiled presence and mystical authority positioned her as a modern oracle with considerable behind-the-scenes sway within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Veteran journalist Owen Bennett-Jones, the writer of the feature, reports that multiple figures from Khan’s inner circle described her role as far beyond symbolic. Her spiritual counsel, they suggested, overshadowed conventional political advice.
One insider quoted in the piece claimed that “nothing major happened without her approval not even the prime minister’s plane taking off.”
The report further states that sensitive intelligence was allegedly conveyed to Bushra Bibi through intermediaries at times even serving officials after which she would relay the information to Imran Khan as divinely inspired guidance or “spiritual intuition,” reinforcing her influence.
The article also recalls that Bushra Bibi, a long-time faith healer and spiritual guide, is said to have foretold that her marriage to Khan was essential for his rise to power a prediction that appeared fulfilled when Khan won the premiership in 2018.
Staff and close aides are quoted describing an environment in which appointments, daily schedules, and even political strategy were routinely filtered through Bushra Bibi’s guidance.
Several senior PTI figures reportedly grew frustrated at what they saw as governance by mysticism rather than merit.
The magazine portrays her influence as one of the defining — and most controversial — features of Imran Khan’s time in office, with one source telling The Economist: “She became the final word on almost everything.”