The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) core and political committees convened on Wednesday to deliberate over Bushra Bibi’s role in the party’s decision-making process, with discussions focusing on who overruled Imran Khan’s directive to hold a sit-in at Sangjani. The committees also questioned who decided to redirect the protest rally to D-Chowk, which led to the deaths of PTI workers.
Party sources revealed that the core committee and political committee met separately, with members from both groups raising concerns about Bushra’s influence on party decisions. Both forums strongly condemned the alleged killings of PTI protesters by the government and called for the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the matter.
Sources within the committees shared varying death toll figures for the PTI workers, with most of the numbers being unreliable. While the government was blamed for the killings, the discussions also called for an internal inquiry within the party to hold those accountable for the decision to march to D-Chowk, which led to the tragic loss of life.
A key issue raised was why Khan’s instruction to hold the protest at Sangjani, located on the outskirts of Islamabad, was ignored. The committees questioned who made the decision to redirect the protest to D-Chowk, asking why Khan’s directive was defied.
Notably, none of the committee members defended Bushra Bibi’s role in these decisions. Instead, it was emphasized that decision-making should remain with the political leadership, not external or non-political figures.
The committees also discussed the possibility that, had Khan’s original plan been followed, the protest would have remained peaceful at Sangjani, potentially preventing the deaths of PTI workers and allowing for a formal dialogue with the government.
Interestingly, several senior PTI leaders had concerns about the protest date, November 24, as announced by Khan. They even considered discussing the option of calling off the protest due to the Islamabad High Court’s ruling. However, they were prevented from meeting Khan in Adiala Jail by the authorities.
