Imran Khan had his first spiritual experience when he was hardly fourteen. His mother Shaukat Khanum invited a peerni (female spiritual guide) to her home and introduced her only son to her. She hoped that the peerni would pray for Imran and offer some guidance. Instead of praying for him, the peerni surprised Imran’s mother by exposing the truth — known only to Imran or his Qaari sahib — that her son was yet to finish Holy Quran.
Little Imran was shocked because the peerni was right. Only the Qaari sahib, who came to tutor Imran knew that his pupil had not finished the Quran as yet. Imran has been skipping his post-school-hours Quran lessons because of his crazed love for playing cricket in Zaman Park, Lahore.
Imran was a terrible student. He forced the poor Qaari sahib to lie to his mother that he had finished the Quran. Imran never contradicted the peerni and his mother was disappointed but peerni told his mother not to worry. She told Shaukat Khanum that her son was a good boy and would turn out alright.
Khan narrated this incident in his biography, which was first published in 2011. He met another peerni in his late 60s and married her quietly. Many rumours surrounded the timing of that marriage from day one. Some of his close friends told me that he married Bushra Bibi because he was sure that he would become Prime Minister only after marrying her. He became premier within six months of that marriage. He never believed in people’s power to become Prime Minister. He believed in a woman who was famous as Pinky Peerni.
Imran is a victim of his narrative. All his life he has been known as the lady killer or playboy but he preferred to choose the slogan of “Riyasat-e-Madina” for his politics. He introduced the slogan of “Naya Pakistan” but he became Prime Minister by riding on the shoulders of military establishments following in the footsteps of the likes of Nawaz Sharif and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
