  We prove the equivalence of two conditions on the primitive elements in an
$SL(2,\mathbb C)$ representation of the free group $F_2$ on two generators,
which may hold even when the image of $F_2$ is not discrete. One is Minsky's
condition of primitive stability and the other is the $BQ$-condition introduced
by Bowditch and generalised by Tan, Wong and Zhang.
