There is more to the Mr & Mrs Khan story than the Economist's latest report describes. But does a layered narrative of the former First Couple's days in power strengthen or soil their reputation?

Titled "The mystic, the cricketer and the spy: Pakistan's game of thrones" the Economist story dropped like a bombshell on an unsuspecting Pakistani public this weekend. Based on conversations with multiple people close to Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, the story delves into how the relationship between the two blossomed over time and ultimately reached a point where she became the dominant influence on his life. The reporters narrate numerous anecdotes that paint a vivid picture of a complicated, collaborative – and often conspiratorial – relationship between the prime minister, his wife and his spy chief.

For those of us who covered the PTI years in power from close proximity, there is hardly anything new or groundbreaking in the Economist story. Many of the tales narrated were well-known in Islamabad circles in those times. Every anecdote was sourced to someone who had heard it from someone who had claimed he had been told by the person who was actually there when it happened. Some details were more credible and reported by actual witnesses themselves. The Economist story banks heavily on a mixture of hearsay and authenticated narrations. Smart journalism allows first-person, on-the-record quotes to substitute for evidence-based and triply authenticated facts. In this context, the story covers its weak spots well.

What it does not do that well is to situate this triangular........

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