Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has reportedly withdrawn its candidate in favor of a slain political rival’s wife, who is running for a provincial seat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s capital after his assassination in a suicide attack last week.
The party has but to make an official announcement.
Haroon Bilour’s wife announced final Thursday contesting the forthcoming election from PK-78 Peshawar, the same constituency her husband had also been contesting the polls from. Haroon was among 20 other martyrs after a suicide bomber detonated himself at a corner meeting of Awami National Get together (ANP) in Peshawar late Tuesday. Two of 65 injured of the attack succumbed to their wounds earlier today, taking the death toll to 22.
The following day, the Imran Khan’s party suspended its election campaign for a day to mourn Bilour’s martyrdom.
“We are suspending our election actions in KP where party flag will fly at half-mast to mourn the martyrdom of Haroon Bilour and ANP workers,” PTI spokesman Fawad Chauhdry mentioned on Wednesday.
Calling the suicide blast as barbaric and condemnable act, he mentioned the PTI will share grief of the Bilour family.
Haroon was son of Bashir Ahmed Bilour, a senior ANP figure who, himself, was martyred in a suicide blast back in 2012.
“Our morale is high,” stated Haroon’s son, Danial Bilour, while confirming that his mom would be contesting the election from his father’s constituency PK-78 Peshawar.
Haroon Bilour’s wife is the daughter of former minister of Sindh Irfanullah Marwat, and granddaughter of former President of Pakistan, late Ghulam Ishaq Khan.
Pakistan is set to hold general elections in July 25.