IThe very great diamond brings destruction to those who dare to keep it: the traveler Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, who stole the splendid Blue Hope from a statue of a Hindu goddess, was torn by wild dogs in Constantinople; Turkish noble Kulb Bey hanged by mob; Prince Ivan Konitovsky was shot dead; Mademoiselle Ladue is murdered by his girlfriend. Empress Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI finished on the guillotine, as predicted after the diamond’s strange red luster.
True, those stories are now known Produced by Pierre CartierAnd gullible journalists, However, the great jeweler himself inflicted a great loss on the sale of Hope. And the glamorous Evelyn McLean, who bought it from her, faced the humiliation of her husband leaving it for another woman.
Khatoon-e-Awal Bushra Khan, the wife of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, really should have known better than to be associated with the diamond.
earlier this week, leaked phone calls Disclosures released by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz revealed that the controversial former First Lady had declined the gift of a three-carat diamond ring from property owner Malik Riaz Hussain, arguing that “she was given something like was unsuitable for sending that everyone could adopt.” The tape records the tycoon’s daughter, Amber Riaz, telling her father that she plans to send a PKR 10 million, five-carat ring instead.
“The closed doors on your sites will be opened tomorrow morning,” promises Amber. “Eat Sir Guaranteed closure of those cases which he has.”
The curse of the five-carat diamond isn’t just on Imran and Bushra, though: the jewel’s malicious light is also burning by the authority of the country’s almighty generals.
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jinnso spy general
Lieutenant-General Asim Munir Shah, a low-profile professional with a history of distinguished service in the northern regions and military intelligence, was appointed to head the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate in October 2018 – something Imran took over. Only weeks later. Malik Riaz was monitored by the ISI for over a decade as the allegations surfaced again and again high level corruption and looting. However, the general had no idea what his agency’s long-running wiretaps were about to uncover.
Hira Tepe, two former Pakistan military officers have told ThePrint, was part of a slew of corruption allegations involving Bushra – who was famous for leaving bowls of raw meat. two pet genie He claimed that he protected her. Farhat Khan, Bushra’s closest friend, was negotiating with businessmen, auctioning bureaucratic offices and guiding key political appointments, the ISI chief found.
Former military officials said, Shah informed Imran about the contents of the intercept late in the summer of 2019, handing over a dossier to the former prime minister. For his pain, Shah was removed from office In June, the shortest tenure of a sitting ISI chief since independence.
The ISI is believed to reach every corner of Pakistan’s public life – but spying on the mistress of the jinn proved to be a dangerous business.
Journalists after Asim’s removal Najiha Syed Ali revealedThe Government of Pakistan prompted the United Kingdom to accept a civil settlement of 190 million pounds with Malik Riaz in a case related to alleged money laundering. Money was returned to Pakistan, but was used separate fine settlement Join the tycoon. in lieu of this arrangement Claims of the current governmentMalik Riaz gave concessional properties to Bushra.
Lieutenant-General Faiz Hameed-Accused of grazing MLAs Imran had joined Tehreek-e-Insaf from the PML-N before the controversial 2018 elections, who was now appointed to head the ISI. The officer’s appointment, speculated in some Pakistani military circles, was facilitated by the participation of Faiz and his wife in religious events organized by Bushra. Bajwa proved powerless to resist this challenge to his authority.
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Mistress of demons?
Few details are available about Bushra’s rise as an important religious-political actor. The child of a small branch of the feudal Watu clan, which has vast lands in southern Punjab, Bushra was born in Dipalpur in 1974 – also the home of 26/11 assassin Muhammad Ajmal Kasab. At the age of just fifteen – yet to complete her schooling – Bushra was to marry Khawar Maneka, the son of customs officials and a provincial politician with roots in the PML-N.
This marriage introduced Bushra to the famous dargah of the medieval Sufi mystic Fariduddin Ganjshakar, who counts the Khawar family among his ancestral caretakers. However, there is no record that he was counted as an important figure in the temple.
Imran started going Bushra around 2015, during the election campaign of his party businessman Jehangir Khan Tareen. Three years later, the couple was reported to have secret marriageThe circumstances were controversial because Bushra reportedly had not yet completed the legally mandated waiting period between divorce and remarriage.
The former prime minister claimed that his relationship with Bushra was driven by a interest in Sufism, “I know more about physical attraction than anyone else,” Emraan insisted.[but] In fact the character and the mind, the intellect, of the person are far more important.” “Sufism is an order with many levels, but I have never met anyone who is equal to my wife.”
Even though Khan is known to be deeply superstitious—his ex-wife Reham Khan claimed She tried to cast off evil spells by rubbing lentils on her genitals—this marriage combined secret interests with cold-blooded practicality. Keeping Imran a step away from the inevitable mess of politics, Farhat and Bushra proved to be efficient political entrepreneurs.
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political entrepreneur
Farhat – also known as Farah Gogi – had long occupied an important place in Bushra’s life. Along with her siblings Musrat and Shafiq, Farhat fell into poverty after the death of her father, Muhammad Hussain Khan. The sisters went to Lahore, and began earning a living, Dancing at parties. Farhat’s fortunes changed, however, when she met property magnate Ahsan Jameel Gurjar, the grandson of a Partition refugee from Gurdaspur and the son of eight-time Punjab MLA Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal Gurjar.
The illness forced Ahsan Gurjar to travel to the United States repeatedly for treatment. Farhat spent time at the Khawar family home, and became close to Bushra. Both have, by some accounts, become an informal mystic circle for women – which led to Bushra’s use of the respectable Piranior religious leaders.
The secret marriage is believed to have taken place, and a longtime friend of Bushra’s occupied a central place in Imran’s budding inner circle. With her businessman-husband Ahsan Jameel Gurjar, Farah, for all practical purposes, gone Imran’s Bani Gala Ghar.
Although he had no formal political role, diamond tapes show that he played a key role as a mediator for Bushra and Imran. for his services, Pakistan government allegesHe received generous payments – receiving PKR 600 million industrial plots for just Rs 83 million, among other things.
Imran’s efforts to ensure Faiz will succeed Bajwa—even if he will only be fourth-in-line if the army chief retires as scheduled in November—eventually created a crisis Due to which he was evicted from the PM’s office. Farhat fled to the United Arab Emirates carrying a $90,000 handbag on a Punjab government jet.
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war of succession
Last week, Imran hit out at the government, saying it wanted to appoint a corrupt loyalist as the next army chief—heading the institution. make a sharp statement Saying that the former prime minister was trying to “defame and weaken the senior leadership of the Pakistani Army”. Moreover, Imran’s massive following has led to fear within the establishment If they are pushed to a corner anarchy could be unleashed – fears that the former prime minister has cleverly capitalized on.
In the past, leaders who defied the Pakistani military were often jailed, exiled or hanged. Imran, however, has escaped real vengeance.eating many to speculate He enjoys support within the ranks of the military.
Some PML-N leaders are believed to be insisting on the appointment of Asim, but Bajwa is set to retire before his term ends. In addition, legislation passed in 2020, mandating that the army chief can serve until 2024—technically allows Bajwa more time in office.
Lieutenant-General Sahir Shamshad Mirza—a noted military professional who rose after initial struggles due to the loss of both his parents—will be the senior-most officer in the line when Bajwa retires in November. Lieutenant-General Azhar Abbas and Nauman Mahmood Raja are next in order of seniority – followed by the controversial Faiz.
Whoever takes office, however, faces a significant challenge: the next army chief will have to risk political chaos to claim the supremacy of the army, or risk surrendering the primacy of the institution.
Ever since the foundation of the country, the Pakistani military has had a veto over who will lead its fate – thus creating a permanent establishment that overtakes the elected leadership. Even figures chosen for political credibility—among them Generals Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Pervez Musharraf, Wahid Kakar and Bajwa himself—reversed their masters when the interests of military supremacy demanded it. Of.
Imran has shown populism – and corruption – can be used to sabotage Pakistan’s toughest institution. “Talk about something expensive,” he told reporters This week, “Diamonds are cheap.”
The author is ThePrint’s National Security Editor. He tweeted @praveenswami. Thoughts are personal.
(Edited by Anurag Choubey)