As vast crowds converged on Pakistan’s capital demanding the release of the former prime minister Imran Khan, one unlikely figure was at the forefront of the protest.

Bushra Bibi, Khan’s third wife, had always been deemed an apolitical and somewhat mysterious spiritual figure. Her marriage to Khan had generated wild gossip for years, but she kept herself largely shielded from the public gaze – even as she found herself jailed alongside her husband in January.

But as tens of thousands of his supporters marched towards Islamabad last week, in defiance of government orders and facing a barrage of riot police, teargas and rubber bullets, Bibi – fresh out of prison – was leading from the front.

Standing on top of a shipping container, one of the many laid by police to obstruct their path to Islamabad, and wearing a niqab veil, Bibi made a speech to Khan’s supporters encouraging them to keep marching towards the political heart of Islamabad. She said she would not leave until Khan was released.

It was a protest that would turn bloody on Tuesday night, as the army and paramilitary were accused of firing on supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to drive them out of the capital.

PTI has alleged a “massacre” leaving more than a dozen dead and hundreds injured while the Pakistani government has denied anyone was killed and claimed that Bibi was the “only one responsible” for any violence. The true numbers remain unverified.

Bibi’s sudden emergence as a political leader has taken many by surprise and is also said to have generated discord with Khan’s party.

She was released from prison on bail in October, allegedly after periods in solitary confinement, and according to those close to her has been working directly on Khan’s orders. Khan reportedly fears his own senior leadership in the party has been “compromised” and is working against him while he sits powerless behind bars.

The former prime minister has been in jail for more than 500 days, facing more than 100 charges that he alleges are trumped up by his political opponents and the powerful military establishment. “Khan has been very frustrated in prison as he feels his instructions are not reaching the grassroots and instead they are being blocked or manipulated by senior leadership in the party,” said Mashal Yousafzai, a close aide to Bibi.

“So Khan has told Bibi she needs to be his direct messenger. She doesn’t have any political experience so he has given her precise instructions, from A to Z, on everything that needs to be done with the party workers and the leadership, to demand his release from jail. It’s all very clear cut.”

Yousafzai said it was Khan who had told Bibi to convey to his supporters that this week’s protest was a “do or die situation”, and that people needed to reach Islamabad and demand his release “by hook or by crook”. “Bibi has no political ambitions of her own, she is a very quiet spiritual person,” Yousafzai added. “She is just acting as a bridge between Khan and the people.”

It was a view echoed by Bibi’s sister, Maryam Riaz Wattoo. “The actions of Khan’s close aides are suspicious and it seems they are playing both sides for their own benefit,” said Wattoo. “They put so much pressure on Bibi not to take the protest to the heart of Islamabad but she went ahead as Khan had suggested. She won’t give up until Khan is released.”

It was Wattoo who first introduced Khan and Bibi in 2015. Bibi was known as a faith healer and an expert in Sufi teachings, and Khan, who was struggling with his second marriage, began to consult her on spiritual matters, eventually coming to rely heavily on her guidance. She married Khan in 2018 after divorcing her husband.

It was a decision said to cause much discomfort in Islamabad’s corridors of power, leading to a powerful army chief allegedly attempting to stop the marriage. Khan later said he had not seen Bibi’s face unveiled until after their wedding.

Khan’s marriage to Bibi coincided with his embrace of a fervent religiosity – a notable contrast to his old playboy reputation – and led to speculation in Pakistan amid gossipy accusations she was involved in black magic and witchcraft. Wattoo said Bibi was deeply religious and had been “completely misrepresented by media propaganda”.

Their marriage also became a source of discomfort within PTI when Khan was prime minister amid allegations she was playing a backroom role in politics. Close aides to Khan claimed she had influenced critical political decisions, including high-profile ministerial appointments, and at certain political meetings she would sit hidden behind a screen and listen in, giving Khan guidance and advice.

Some figures in PTI have privately expressed concern at Bibi’s sudden prominence but Khan himself was said to be pleased. Speaking to his lawyer Faisal Fareed from jail as it was conveyed that Bibi was marching with crowds from the city of Peshawar, Khan reportedly broke out into a smile. “She’s an intelligent woman,” he said.