Bushra’s Burqa is Her Burqa, None of Your Burqa, Say Pakistanis

Bushra Khan, Pakistan’s First Lady, was criticised and appreciated simultaneously for her sartorial sense.

Pak PM Imran Khan with his wife Bushra Khan. 

(Photo: Twitter/Sameera Khan) 

Pakistan’s newly elected Prime Minister Imran Khan’s third wife Bushra Khan’s choice of clothes has generated a lot of interest on social media.

Women are either criticised for wearing too much or too little. Here’s how the banter panned out:

Her Burqa is Her Decision, None of Your Political Playground

Bushra’s Sartorial Sense Depicting a ‘Purana’ Pakistan?

Unfortunately, every aspect of a woman’s life, or her choice, is usually up for criticism. Her side of the story rarely matters, but the upholders of morality are quick to pass judgments on her decisions.

Why does Imran Khan’s politics have to be determined by what his wife chooses to wear? According to reports, Bushra Khan has been wearing the burqa even before she married Imran Khan. If the decision to wear a burqa is not stemming from a forced, patriarchal imposition, then the chorus against it ends up becoming another unwarranted policing of women’s clothes.

The burqa can be a political statement but it's clear that Bushra doesn't intend to step into the public eye. She wishes to remain a private individual. Is it then just another case of mainstream discourse needlessly focusing on female attire?