Change will take time: First Lady Bushra Imran

First Lady Bushra Imran says that Pakistan is fortunate to have a leader like Imran Khan.

Imran Khan is not a politician but a leader, Mrs Khan told Hum News in an interview on Thursday. “He is a big leader and no leader of his stature exists in Pakistan.” “When God wants to change the fate of a nation, He gives them a leader instead of a politician,” she added.

Bushra said the nation has finally gotten a leader who has no greed in his heart. She expressed hope that Imran Khan will be the precursor for bringing prosperity in the country, even though it might take some time.

Mrs. Khan said that her husband doesn’t want to earn money and doesn’t need fame. “He is doing everything for this nation.”

She said after Muhammad Ali Jinnah, this century has two leaders only; Imran Khan and Turkish President Erdogan.

On the subject of her marriage to Imran Khan, she said that a great change has come into their lives after tying the knot. “Everyone says I brought change in Imran Khan’s life, but the reality is that change came in both of us due to each other.”

To a question, the first lady said, “Before marrying Imran Khan, people would visit me to seek guidance to be close to Allah Almighty and Prophet (PBUH) but now people come to seek her help to come close to Khan Sahab.”

Reply to another question, Bushra said, “Being a human, Imran Khan is a very simple, fair person and he has absolutely no greed for anything at all.”

Bushra said that Imran Khan is a very simple-natured man, adding that he is the only leader who owns two to three suits. “It is not that Imran has a magical wand, change requires some time and Imran is working for the betterment of Pakistani people,” she said.

Imran Khan didn’t even have a summer wardrobe when they got married and was wearing winter clothes in these days, she said. Mrs Khan said she was surprised to know that Imran didn’t get his own clothes stitched.

Bushra Imran has been in the news since she married Khan. She was even criticized for her clothes and veil.

“My purdah (veil) has nothing to do with this world,” she said. “Purdah is one of the important parts of Deen-e-Muhammad (PBUH).”

She elaborated that the couple was of the opinion that worship is void without service to humanity (huqooqul ibaad). “It is important to worship and pray, but it is more important to serve humankind,” the first lady said. “This is something I’ve learned from Khan Sahab,” said Bushra.

“Khan Sahab is not used to this life. He has always lived in a big house but now he is living this life and has adjusted in no time at all,” she said while asserting that he has no insecurities or aspirations for an opulent lifestyle.

Narrating an incident from the early days of her marriage, the first lady reiterated that her husband is a man of simple needs. “He does not get any clothes stitched for himself. When I first married him, I asked one of the housekeepers to take out his summer clothes and was told that he does not have any, he adjusts with outerwear according to the season,” she said.

“The housekeeper told me that he only wears clothes if someone gives them to him. He never gets them stitched,” she recalled and added, “Someone came and gifted him a few stitched sets of shalwar kameez, which he wore throughout the season”.

Speaking of her transition from spiritual guide to the first lady of Pakistan, Bushra said her plans to make use of her position include the uplift of orphans, disabled, and old people homes.

Describing a visit she paid to an old people’s home in Lahore, the first lady spoke of the effects it had on her. “The pain [I felt] was such that I could not eat or pray for the next few days. Some of the people I met had nothing […] some asked me for a small stipend, just so that they could spend Rs10 on something on their own. That jolted my soul to the core. I just wanted to leave that place quickly and do something for them.”