Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi demands his release

The spouse of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi gave a brief address to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf(PTI), repeating her call for Khan's release as the convoy of protestors entered Islamabad's city limits on Monday, says ANI.

'My brothers, as long as Imran is not with us, we will not end this march,' she said while addressing supporters at a stop near the Hazara Interchange. 'I will stay there till my last breath, and all of you have to support me. This is not just about my husband but about the country and its leader.'

Bibi is part of the convoy being led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Amin Al Gandapur, which is one of several aiming to meet at Islamabad at the same time. 

Bushra Bibi said in an earlier video message that people were reaching Islamabad and called on those who had not come out to reach the capital.

The PTI also said people were "about to enter Islamabad" and said the morale of its protesters was high. "Those who considered Islamabad as their fiefdom and closed it for Pakistani citizens, they should now take notice!" it warned.

Who is Bushra Bibi?

Bushra, who is in her late 40s, hails from a family of landowners in Punjab. Little is known about her early life. Her first marriage, which lasted about 30 years, was to Khawar Farid Maneka, a customs officer from a politically influential Punjab family. After their divorce in 2018 he was quoted by Pakistani media as saying, "I want to clearly state about my former wife, Bushra Bibi, that I have not seen a woman as pious as her in the world", says Reuters. She has five children from her first marriage.

Bushra Bibi is well-known in Pakistan's Sufi community for her devoted following of Sufism, an austere and mystical branch of Islam that places a strong focus on the inner, spiritual side of the faith.

She and Imran Khan were married in 2018.

Now her former husband is pursuing her through the courts having filed a complaint alleging "fraudulent marriage and fornication," says the BBC.

The courts threw out the fornication charge but the fraudulent marriage case has been allowed to proceed.

Under Muslim family law, women are prohibited from remarrying for a few months after their husband dies or they are divorced. It is alleged that Bushra Bibi married Imran Khan before the completion of the stipulated time following her divorce from Khawar Maneka.

She was also implicated in a state gifts case, where she and her husband were accused of  illegally selling gifts - including perfumes, dinner sets and diamond jewellery - through their aides in Dubai during Khan's time in office.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has dismissed the cases against him - which Khan's lawyers say number in the region of 170 - as being politically motivated.