Tazeen Akhtar
Renowned english journal The Economist initiated an article of two people named Owen Bennett and Bushra Taskeen about Imran Khan and spouse Bushra BB that is actually nothing more than a table story. The same article has been reproduced in Urdu by a major Pakistani newspaper Daily Jang on 17 Nov 2025 as the lead story. Both the media orgs tried their utmost to raise a hue and cry but failed and their efforts turned out to be a storm in a teacup only.
Main point of this article is ” Bushra BB’s spiritual knowledge would influence the decisions by the then Prime Minister Imran Khan”, a narrative that is already known by all Pakistanis. Lets analyze the article and we would share some information about Bushra Taskeen as well.
Imran Khan was taking important decisions of postings on different positions in consultation with his wife Bushra BB who is a spiritual personality and she would suggest him names of suitable persons from a given list of names. This is a known fact in Pakistan and published as well as propagated many times in all types of media.
Now when the most reputed journal The Economist has repeated the same things that PTI has rightly termed as “recycled propaganda”, the question rises why this otherwise respected journal has risked its repute by publishing the article of Owen Bennett co-authored by some Bushra Taskeen who is not known in journalist or literary circles of Pakistan.
It is the first time in the history of The Economist that there seems to be some Tabloid that publishes scandals and promotes yellow or popular journalism.
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Who is Bushra Taskeen, who is providing the material of her own “Taskeen” (satisfaction) by co authoring such repeated things with a foreigner? What is the working relationship between the two authors? Had they published any other story jointly in the past? Last but not the least, why such an article now, when both Imran and Bushra are already incarcerated and facing trials?
I tried to seek the questions and through my sources , I collected some information about the lady Bushra Taskeen. You can know about a thief from another thief. Similarly , spiritual personalities have information about other people like them.
As I mostly say that “Woman is the enemy of woman” , the same is true in the case of two Bushras as well. It is basically a failed attempt of revenge by two failed lovers. One Bushra Taskeen and the other Khawar Maneka as Abandoned Husband of Bushra BB.
Publication of this recycled propaganda or facts whatever it is, in the Economist is one thing, its reprinting in Urdu with pictures in a major newspaper, daily jang is another factor that further matures and solidify the perception that it is some planned campaign , not only to maligne already imprisoned political leader and his spouse but divert the attention of the public from main issues in the country including the most recent amendment in the constitution of Pakistan.
Spiritual knowledge and seeking guidance from it is a routine matter in Pakistan and South Asia. Almost all Pakistan politicians visit the spiritual personalities and ask them for prayers and guidance. The authors have blamed it as magic and that even is an already propagated point. Here Bushra Taskeen can be asked ” You have never done this magic in your life? You too are a magician.”
If anyone has to know who this Bushra Taskeen is, and she herself is indulged in the same things about which she is hinting at Imran’s Bushra. Through our reliable sources, we discovered that the plan for this recycling was made when Taskeen and Maneka were together at the place of Dr. Afshan Malik Kanwal Rani who is deputy of Peer of Mohra Sharif and Ajmer Sharif in Pakistan.
Bushra Taskeen and Khawar Maneka (ex of Bushra BB) visited Dr Afshan Malik a few months ago. The pictures that the Economist and Daily Jang have published were in Maneka’s mobile phone who showed these photos to Dr Afshan Malik but she did not take any interest. Bushra Taskeen gathered information from Maneka including the photos and now used in her article.
It means they were working on the matter and trying to gather the support of some other spiritual personalities like Dr Afshan Malik but she refrained from being part of any political controversy.
Taskeen was one of thousands of women whose crush was Imran while Maneka was licking the wound Bushra BB gave him by separation and marrying Imran. Both joined hands to take revenge from their respective beloveds and here a reporter at the Economist helped Taskeen publish this recycled propaganda, whatsoever. Owen Bennett is said to be the boyfriend of Taskeen.
This Taskeen has been a friend to PMLN media leader Pervez Rasheed for some time. This composition of close bonds between the mentioned persons brings the whole picture before the reader.
The Economist may have been paid a lot and publication of the translation as lead story in Daily Jang proves that , yes ! Some big guns are behind the publication of the material that has been circulated and came under discussion many times in the last 2 years and 3 months since Imran Khan was behind bars.
PMLN media handlers need to learn that such tactics do not work now when the public knows everything. The followers of Imran Khan can not be influenced by such items. As far as the diversion of attention from main issues is concerned, this raw material can not help. Better leave these tactics and be focused on governance. Do not arrange your own disrespect to appease the personal grudges of the individuals.
The sane mind does not accept any reason for publication of this article in case of Imran Khan and Bushra BB only because both have been discussed a lot on these matters and now facing the trial and imprisonment. Blame game or charachter assassination is done when someone is poised to rise or is contesting for some position.
Lets see the third charachter in this scene. He is Lt Gen R Faiz, who has been portrayed as the real gamer who was using Bushra and Imran as puppets or making them dance on his finger tips. Here we can see some sense of this campaign.
Faiz’ court marshal is said to be completed and he is about to be sentenced, according to some unconfirmed media reports. If so, this will be first in Pakistan history for any head of the top most secret agency of the country.
It is quite likely that the article is meant actually for Faiz to prove on his followers in and out of ISI and Military , that punishing him is a right decision. It is speculation in the context of this drama. May be it is wrong. Whatever the fact is about Faiz , ISPR should clear the picture at the earliest.
