PTI Ends Protest, but 'Bushra Factor' Keeps Hope Alive for Imran Khan's Release

The participation of Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi has made the recent protests by PTI markedly different.

Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi has been leading the recent protests demanding the release of the 72-year-old PTI chief from Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail. 

(Photo: PTI/Altered by The Quint) 

"Protesters have reached Islamabad's D-Chowk and intend to remain camped there until the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTIs) demands are met," Fawad Chaudhry, ex-Pakistan I&B Minister and former close aide of Imran Khan, had said while speaking to The Quint on the night of Tuesday, 26 November.

A few hours later, around midnight, Pakistan Police and Army Rangers launched raids in D-Chowk, which houses the country's key government establishments. Local media reported that at least 450 people were arrested for demanding the release of Khan, 72, who has been imprisoned since May 2023 in connection with dozens of graft charges.

"D-Chowk has been evacuated and the police and rangers have taken control of the entire area," Islamabad-based journalist Azaz Syed, who has been covering the protests in Pakistan extensively, confirmed to The Quint.

Paramilitary soldiers fired tear gas shells to disperse supporters of imprisoned former premier Imran Khan in Islamabad on Tuesday, 27 November.

(Photo: PTI)

The PTI took to their official X handle, saying that the crackdown by law enforcement was nothing less than a "massacre" by the "brutal, fascist military regime" led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. They also claimed that at least eight party workers were killed and dozens more injured after security forces allegedly fired live rounds "with the intent to kill as many people as possible".

"Today, armed security forces launched a violent assault on peaceful PTI protesters in Islamabad, firing live rounds with the intent to kill as many people as possible. Pakistan is experiencing its darkest hour since the massacre in East Pakistan in 1971," the party said.

The Quint has accessed videos in which firing can be heard. However, it is unclear whether actual bullets were fired or pellets, and by whom.

Why These Protests Are Different

Following the military crackdown, the PTI said in the early hours of Wednesday that they are calling off the protests "for the time being".

“In view of the government’s brutality and the government’s plan to turn the capital into a slaughterhouse for unarmed citizens, [we] announce the suspension of the peaceful protest for the time being," the party took to X to say, adding that the future course of the agitations will be decided on the orders of Imran Khan.

Police officers fire rubber bullets to disperse PTI workers in Islamabad on Tuesday. 

(Photo: PTI)

While it remains to be seen whether the protests will restart in the near future, there is no denying the fact that the recent PTI march has a marked difference compared to previous such agitations demanding Imran Khan's release from Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail.

"These protests are certainly different; when protests used to take place earlier, they were crushed even before PTI workers from all parts of the country could assemble at D-Chowk. But this time people succeeded in getting to Islamabad in massive numbers," said Fawad Chaudhry, who resigned from the PTI in May 2023 and now claims to have rejoined the party.

Earlier on Tuesday, PTI leaders and party workers clashed with security forces and forced their way through security barriers and shipping containers to reach D-Chowk, which has been the hub of protests in Pakistan since the 1980s. At least six security personnel are said to have allegedly died amid the agitations, which began on Monday, 25 November.

Supporters of Imran Khan gather to remove shipping containers placed by security personnel to halt them on their march to Islamabad on Tuesday.

(Photo: PTI)

This came after the government deployed the army and issued "shoot at sight" orders, according to state-run media.

"The official narrative of the Pakistani state and media is that six people have been killed amid the PTI protests, but this claim is refuted," Pakistan-based journalist Kunwar Khuldune Shahid said while speaking to The Quint.

"The state's first step was to issue shoot at sight orders, which is already too extreme. It is the right of every citizen in a democratic state, which Pakistan claims to be, to protest. How can the government deny them that right?"

Kunwar Khuldune Shahid

Another reason why these protests are different is that for the first time they are being led by Khan's sister Aleema Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, who initiated the march to Pakistan's capital along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Monday.

As has happened several times in Pakistan, when mass political leaders are imprisoned, women from their family enter the political fray and, in a number of instances, also assume the position of de-facto head of the party in their absence.

Before starting the march, Bibi had said that PTI members would stage a sit-in at D-Chowk and refuse to move until three key demands were met:

• The release of Imran Khan and other political prisoners, many of whom are undertrials.

• Revocation of the 8 February Pakistan election result, which the PTI claims was rigged in favour of the six-party alliance led by Shehbaz Sharif.

• Revocation of the 26th Amendment, which alters the judicial structure of Pakistan completely by setting a fixed term of three years for Pakistan's Supreme Court Chief Justice, who, according to the new law, will now by appointed by a Parliamentary panel.

(Photo: PTI)

Speaking on why Bushra Bibi's decision to lead the protests has led to renewed vigour among PTI members, Fawad Chaudhry said:

"Our subcontinent's history teaches us that when the family members of politicians lead protests to get them released from prison, supporters take part in those protests with unbelievable enthusiasm. When Jawaharlal Nehru was arrested in 1939, his wife [Kamala Nehru] led the movement for his release. Similarly, when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was imprisoned in 1977 it was his wife Nusrat who led the protests, and the same happened with Nawaz Sharif's incarceration in 1999."

Bushra Bibi to Address 'Emergency' Press Conference

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in D-Chowk on Wednesday morning and told the media that Bushra Bibi "fled" from the area following the security crackdown.

"They ran away in front of you, not one or two or three but thousands of people ran away," Naqvi said, adding that mobile and internet services were to be restored at the earliest in the region.

Security officials escort Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, center, who arrives to address a press conference following raids in D-Chowk on Wednesday, 27 November. 

(Photo: PTI)

Similarly, Pakistan Information Minister Atta Tarar said that the crackdown was launched after documents were allegedly found detailing the PTI's plans to enter the strategic Red Zone in Islamabad and attack Pakistan's Parliament and other government buildings.

Meanwhile, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram took to X to say that Bushra Bibi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM Ali Amin Gandapur were in a secure location. Local media also reported that Bibi, Gandapur, and National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan are scheduled to address an "emergency" press conference on Wednesday, 27 November.

The PTI had initiated their march to Islamabad on Monday despite a high court ruling which set aside the protests as being "unlawful". The court also directed the Sharif government to take all necessary steps to maintain law and order in the capital.

The court ruling came as Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko's visit to Pakistan coincided with the protest dates. Moreover, Lukashenko was staying in D-Chowk, which was the area chosen by the PTI to stage their sit-in.

"The protests were initially slated for October, but they were not allowed to go forward because Pakistan was hosting the SCO Summit at the time. Now the court refused permission for the march because the Belarusian leader is in Islamabad. At any given period, some or the other important activity will obviously be taking place in the capital. But the point is that the right to protest is being denied consistently," Kunwar Khuldune Shahid told The Quint.