Bushra Bibi about Saudi Arabia:
Bushra Bibi launches a campaign against Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the Muslim World in the last couple of months. The wife of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and influential in PTI launched a volley of disclosures that rattled the so-called pillars of Pakistani politics. In an extremely rare video message that went viral, shared through official PTI social media handles, Bushra accused Saudi Arabia of having a hand in the toppling of the Imran Khan government in 2022.
Her incisive utterances have been making rounds, pointing at the Saudi authorities for huge involvement in a conspiracy against Pakistan, and huge discussions are abreast. These are very grave accusations that raise a host of questions with regards to their veracity and what it portends for the diplomatic relations which Pakistan pursues, especially with Saudi Arabia, being one of the long-standing allies.
Bushra Bibi’s Attempt to Damage Pakistan-Saudi Relations:
The gist of the accusations from Bushra Bibi seems to be that Imran Khan’s 2022 visit to Saudi Arabia was some sort of watershed moment in his relationship with the kingdom. She quoted, “Saudi Arabia phoned the then Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa upon Imran Khan’s Medina visit without shoes to show displeasure over Khan as the leadership. “Who is this person you have brought with you? “Saudi officials asked Bajwa, Bushra said. We don’t need such personalities.” If authentic, the comments would seal a complete U-turn in the Saudi Arabia stance on the leadership of Pakistan and might have long-term implications for the bilateral ties between the two.
Dangerous Attempt to Discredit Saudi Arabia:
She said there was a calculated attempt at tarnishing her husband’s image since the visit, replete with allegations that branded him a “Jewish agent” and questioned his political legitimacy. She looked at it as an obvious drill by the foreign powers-she named Saudi Arabia among them-in order to discredit Imran Khan’s government and distort political discourse in Pakistan. These are not only serious allegations-as they cast a dark shadow on Saudi Arabia-but they also threaten to strain one of the most important diplomatic relationships for Pakistan.
Saudi Arabia has, if not more than anything else, been one of the staunchest allies of Pakistan-always there with necessary financial aid, standing by Pakistan at each available diplomatic forum, and holding a pivotal role in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Such a claim has no substantial evidence to be proved, but this blame game by the government and PTI of Saudi Arabia being behind the fall of Imran Khan’s government could be disastrous for Pakistan’s foreign policy.
A Campaign of Disinformation: Propaganda Against Saudi Arabia:
This is part of an overall narrative by Bushra Bibi and the PTI-to portray the party and its leadership as victims of a global conspiracy. This is all a part of this larger conspiracy, as for months PTI has hinted that the ouster of Imran Khan from power was on account of external interference-there have been repeatedallusions toward the United States and allies. This “foreign conspiracy” narrative has been central to PTI’s rhetoric, as theparty seeksto justify its political defeat by blaming external forces for its downfall. Bushra Bibi seems to be expanding this list by adding Saudi Arabia to this narrative.
There are many problems with this accusatory role assigned to Saudi Arabia. First, there is no iota of evidence to prove any role of Saudi Arabia in the ousting of the Imran Khan-led government. Bushra Bibi has not been able to provide any evidence for such a claim, nor any credible source could support her veracity of claim.
As a matter of fact, even most of the well-known political analysts for their sympathies towards PTI have rejected such claims as baseless and devoid of value. It was none other than Former Army Chief General retd Qamar Javed Bajwa himself who out rightly rejected Bushra’s claims as “100% false” and questioned the logical roots of accusing Saudi Arabia – the country with which Pakistan has a long-standing fruitful relation – of conspiring against Imran Khan.
Bushra Bibi’s Smear Campaign:
Moreover, Saudi Arabia has always supported Pakistan in whatever important international forum it was called upon, be it the OIC, where at the forefront to push forward Pakistan’s foreign policy objectives on core issues, took the lead-the Kashmir cause. This would only be a vain expectation based on unsubstantiated rumors and allegations to accuse the Kingdom of being actively engaged against Pakistan’s interests. Critically, it questions the credibility of PTI leadership, which may irreparably damage the good diplomatic relations groomed through generations. The campaign that Bushra Bibi unleashed against Saudi Arabia equally seems to ignore the wider geopolitical context within which Pakistan exists.
The prime ministership of Imran Khan had been stamped all over with his efforts to carve out an independent foreign policy for Pakistan-a balancing act with both the West and the majority Muslim-set-up countries, particularly in the Middle East. Imran Khan underlined unity among Muslim nations, supported the rights of Palestinians, and sought a more diversified foreign policy.
It was not to make sovereign Pakistan, but rather strengthening the ties with countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iran. In fact, to accuse Saudi Arabia of involvement in the political turmoil in Pakistan at this time is to completely misinterpret the acumen with which the Pakistani foreign policy is set up, as also the positive role that Saudi Arabia has always played in support of Pakistani interests on the global stage.
The Geopolitical Implications: Weakening Pakistan’s Diplomacy
Bushra Bibi’s statements do not merely damage Pakistan’s relationship with Saudi Arabia; they also risk destabilizing Pakistan’s broader diplomatic standing in the Muslim world. Saudi Arabia has been one of Pakistan’s most reliable partners, providing economic assistance, military cooperation, and political support over the years.
The investment of the Kingdom in Pakistan, especially by giving loans, providing supplies of oil, and offering financial aid when its economy suffered a crisis, has been so vital to the economic stability of Pakistan. To accuse Saudi Arabia of conspiring against Pakistan is not only without evidencefor such an accusation but damaging to the bilateral relations and perhaps may result in a diplomatic fallout that Pakistan can ill afford. Second, Bushra’s rhetoric runs the one-sided risk of alienating Pakistan from other Muslim-majority states. particularly those that have taken Saudi Arabia as the leader of the so-called Muslim world.
Correspondingly, a leading role that Pakistan is trying to play in the Islamic world cannot be possible within initiatives such as the OIC without close cooperation with the main players in the Middle East region. Success of the Pakistani diplomatic presentation in international forums was pretty crucial for Saudi Arabia. Bushra Bibi, by accusing the political conspiracy orchestrated by the kingdom, gave a sign of detriments to those efforts and such relations between Pakistan and other influential Muslim countries.
Not only the ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, these allegations are very likely to pose a danger for the relations between Pakistan and other major global powers. From a geopolitical point of view, it is very complicated dynamics that Pakistan operates within, balancing itself between the United States, China, and key Muslim majority countries. The new government of Imran Khan pressed for foreign policy with an orientation toward independence, while promptly recognizing the importance of keeping strategic ties with Saudi Arabia, China, and other key partners intact. These accusations by Bushra complicate this delicate balance, with far-reaching implications regarding how well Pakistan will be able to navigate the global political environment.
The Hidden Agenda: Isolating Pakistan from Global Support
At the very core, the narrative of Bushra Bibi is part of a bigger strategy aimed at the political and diplomatic isolation of Pakistan. In other words, by accusing the Saudi Arabian monarchy of involvement in bringing down Imran Khan’s government, Bushra seeks to essentially discredit the kingdom and undermine Pakistan’s diplomatic relations with other key global actors.
The long-standing partnership between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has indeed been underpinned by mutual interests and shared values-a key cornerstone in foreign policy. She is denting the kingdom by portraying it in negative light, which may further reduce Pakistan’s ability to maintain such crucial relations.
Such accusations distract the people’s attention from internal issues responsible for his ouster as Prime Minister of Pakistan. The political instability that had marked Imran Khan’s period as Prime Minister of Pakistan resulted from internal political mismanagement combined with economic challenges and governance failure. Instead, the explanation of defeat in light of external factors, primarily foreign interference, has become convenient for the PTI leadership.
This defectionist approach does nothing but simply harms Pakistan in the international domain, and as it were, it keeps the country away from pursuing internal challenges and marching ahead with a far more stable political and economic agenda. Bushra Bibi and PTI, by propagating this yarn of foreign interference and victimhood, have built up a political environment that puts Pakistan in isolation with its allies and partners. The interests of those forces who would wish to see this country destabilized andnever realize its full potential to become a player on the global scene are also served simultaneously.
Undermining Pakistan’s Diplomatic Integrity and Geopolitical Strength
Such a long-term implication might be self-destructive regarding the diplomatic and economic interests of Pakistan, putting it into a precarious position in front of growing geopolitical challenges. Tying the Narrative to a Broader Geopolitical Struggle
The Bushra Bibi accusations also flow from a greater geopolitical struggle entailing Pakistan’s relationships with the US, Israel, and other Western powers. Along that line, in the past years, Pakistan has juggled an international tightrope relationship with the US, China, and other key allies who are Muslims, including Saudi Arabia and Turkey. By no means without its cost, this balancing act has continuously been pursued in the face of increased tensions between the US and China and the continued Israeli-Palestine dispute. So, Bushra Bibi accused Saudi Arabia of hatching a conspiracy against Pakistan, which strengthens a more significant narrative whose denouement has come to pit Pakistan against its Middle Eastern allies.
This portends an extremely serious consequence not only for the relationship between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia but also for a host of broader foreign policy objectives relating to Pakistan. Pakistan, hitherto, has attempted a delicate balancing act with regard to its relations aimed at maintaining good ties with the United States and China on one hand and those entailing assuming a leading role in the Islamic world. The story of foreign interference being publicly propounded by Bushra Bibi will surely disturb this balance of utmost delicacy further into isolation, hence making Pakistan more vulnerable to the external pressure by international powers that would love to see it weakened.
While pointing out these failures, Bushra Bibi is essentially providing an alibi for the defeat of Imran Khan’s government and contributing to a narrative that tends to disconnect Pakistan from its solemn allies and prevents the country from pursuing an independent and successful foreign policy. In the future, too, Pakistan will have to maintain a balance between all these unresolved geopolitical challenges and strive to regain the lost mutual trust and confidence in relations with Saudi Arabia and other major players in the world.