Setback to ANP: Samar Bilour joins PML-N

Islamabad (Web Desk): The Awami National Party (ANP) has suffered a notable loss as a prominent member of the esteemed Bilour family has switched allegiance to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Samar Bilour, widow of Haroon Bilour and daughter-in-law of the late Bashir Bilour, formally joined the PML-N following a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Sources indicate that Samar Bilour might be nominated for a reserved seat in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly. She previously served as a Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) from 2018 to 2023, having won a by-election on the ANP ticket.

It is important to recall that on July 10, 2018, Haroon Bilour, ANP’s candidate for the provincial assembly, was killed in a suicide bombing during an election rally in Peshawar’s Yakatoot area. The attack also claimed the lives of 20 others and injured more than 48 people. The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.

Earlier, in December 2012, Haroon’s father, Bashir Bilour, was also martyred in a similar suicide bombing. The Bilour family is highly respected for their sacrifices and has a significant political legacy, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.