Bushra Bibi enraged govt, disappointed PTI leadership

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has been talking to different PTI leaders and even provided a helicopter to two of them to fly to Hassan Abdal -- some 45 kms from Islamabad -- and persuade Bushra Bibi not to march to D-Chowk but the latter did not listen to anyone.

Chief Minister KPK Ali Amin Gandapur was not in favour of Bushra Bibi joining the march from Peshawar. He tried to convince Bushra Bibi to stay back but she insisted on joining the protest march and led it by boarding a container. An informed source said the two also had an argument on this issue.

During the recent days, there were some occasions when there was a possibility of a breakthrough during the recent background interactions between the government and PTI leadership. The first occasion was three days before the November 24th protest march date when the two sides had a chance to enter into a formal dialogue but then Imran Khan had set the condition of his release by Friday last. The government did not agree to it. Later, for two days, the PTI leaders contacted the government, mainly the interior minister, to meet Imran Khan and convince him to change the protest march destination -- D-Chowk Islamabad -- given the Islamabad High Court’s decision. However, the PTI leaders were not allowed to meet. For the initial two days of background negotiations, Ali Amin Gandapur and Barrister Gohar Ali Khan were facilitated to meet Imran Khan in Adiala jail. Mohsin Naqvi has been helping them to get to an amicable solution.

On Monday, the second day of the protest march, two of the PTI leaders Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Barrister Saif were facilitated to meet the jailed founder chairman of the party. Khan after meeting with these leaders, gave his consent not to march to D-Chowk and stage a sit-in at Sangjani, on the outskirts of Islamabad. The party leadership was conveyed to continue their sit-in at Sangjani till the outcome of the background dialogue between the government and PTI.

Imran Khan, according to sources, also talked to Gandapur on the phone. There was a proposal that Khan should make a video message about his direction relating to Sangjani but it did not happen as Khan apprehended that his video message could be edited.

Imran Khan’s message was conveyed to Bushra Bibi by some of the leaders including, Ali Amin Gandapur, Omar Ayub and others but she insisted on continuing her protest march to D-Chowk, Islamabad.

Later, two PTI leaders, Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Barrister Saif (who met Imran Khan on Monday), were provided a helicopter by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to fly to Hassan Abdal and persuade Bushra Bibi to stop. But when the two leaders reached Hassan Abdal, the march had already moved towards Islamabad.

The sources said that Mohsin Naqvi also spoke to Ali Amin Gandapur and Omar Ayub but these leaders were also found helpless as the protest march was in complete control of Bushra Bibi. Some of the PTI leaders, who have been interacting with the interior minister during the last few days, are appreciative of Mohsin Naqvi’s role in assisting them for a negotiated solution leading to the initiation of formal dialogue. However, it did not happen.