Imran Khan, wife bow down to Baba Fariduddin's shrine amid electioneering

SAHIWAL - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan along with his wife, Bushra Maneka, paid a visit to the shrine of   Baba Fariduddin Ganjshakar in Pakpattan on Wednesday night.

The visit to the Sufi shrine came at a time when tough general elections are around the corner to decide the political fate of Pakistan.

The PTI chief also flanked by his close friend and business tycoon Zulfikar Bukhari during the visit, which apparently aims at seeking blessings ahead of the polls.

Khan and Maneka also reverently performed the ritualistic act of placing a cloth on the shrine of Baba Fariduddin.

A video circulating on social media shows the couple bowed down to the shrine of great Sufi at the entry point.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6mztdr

Imran's rare gesture was well noted by social media, with political commentator, Gul Bukhari equating the move with a Sajda (prostration only done before Allah Almighty by the Msulims).

یہ کس کو سجدہ کیا ہے ؟؟ https://t.co/BVRDTFzJo8

— Gul Bukhari (@GulBukhari) June 28, 2018

Another account regarding Imran's 'bow down' is that there is a difference between Sajda and paying respect to the sacred shrine by kissing the floor.

An Islamic school of thought is arguing on social media that Imran Khan merely expressed his respect for the place by bowing down, a continuation of what he did in Saudi Arabia by landing barefoot on the Holy land.

Analyst Mosharraf Zaidi also dished in on the matter and took a jibe at the commentators who otherwise avoid indulging in religious affairs, but expressed their views on Imran's shrine visit.

https://twitter.com/mosharrafzaidi/status/1012215919727300609?s=19

The cricketer-turned-politician was welcomed by Dewan Azmat Said Mohammad Chishti, the custodian of the shrine and the PTI's candidate for the PP-192 constituency. The couple also offered Fateh.

The third wife of Khan, who is also believed to be a spiritual mentor of the PTI chief, spread flowers in front of the Bahishti Darwaza (the door of paradise) at the shrine. Khan also distributed ritualistic sweets and edibles.