ISLAMABAD: The wife of a Pakistani politician killed in a Taliban suicide attack during campaigning won her husband’s provincial seat in by-elections as the ruling party of new Prime Minister Imran Khan retained its slim majority in parliament.
Samar Bilour on Sunday won the provincial assembly seat in northwestern Khyber Pakthunkhwa province that her husband Haroon Bilour, a member of the anti-Taliban Awani National Party, had been scheduled to contest in July.
Haroon Bilour was killed along with 19 others in a suicide attack in Peshawar, the provincial capital, claimed by the Pakistani Taliban weeks before the July 25 polls. The attack prompted a delay in voting for that seat.
His father, senior ANP leader Bashir Bilour, was killed in a suicide bombing in the run-up to Pakistan’s last election in 2013.
Sunday’s by-elections were for 24 seats across the four provincial assemblies and 11 in the National Assembly. Most of the national parliamentary seats were open because Pakistan allows a candidate to run in multiple constituencies but only keep one seat.
The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won four out of 11 parliamentary seats contested, retaining its slim majority in the National Assembly.
After Sunday’s vote, the PTI and its coalition partners held a slim three-seat majority of 174 seats in the 342-seat parliament. Khan’s ruling coalition in parliament elected him prime minister by 176 votes in August.
But the PTI lost two of the four constituencies originally won by Khan, while former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) made marginal gains by adding four seats.
The PML-N’s Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who served as prime minister after Sharif was removed from office by the Supreme Court last year, was among those elected to parliament after missing out in the July elections.
Sharif, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison by an accountability court weeks before the July polls, said the run-up to the elections had been influenced by the military influencing the courts to bar a number of PML-N legislators.
The army and judiciary vehemently deny any interference in civilian politics.
Widow of slain Pakistani candidate wins his seat in by-election
Widow of slain Pakistani candidate wins his seat in by-election
- Haroon Bilour was killed along with 19 others in a suicide attack in Peshawar, the provincial capital, claimed by the Pakistani Taliban weeks before the July 25 polls. The attack prompted a delay in voting for that seat
- Haroon’s father, senior ANP leader Bashir Bilour, was killed in a suicide bombing in the run-up to Pakistan’s last election in 2013
Pakistan Airports Authority reports ‘historic’ twin-engine aircraft landing in Lahore
- Twin-engine aircraft are usually larger, heavier and require better airport infrastructure, navigation systems to land
- Pakistan Airports Authority says landing reflects its commitment to enhance aviation sector, strengthen infrastructure
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) announced on Saturday that the New General Aviation Aerodrome achieved a significant milestone when it handled the landing of a twin-engine aircraft.
A twin-engine aircraft has two engines that provide it redundancy and increased performance compared to single-engine counterparts. These aircraft range from small twin-engine propeller planes to large commercial jetliners. The presence of multiple engines enhances safety by allowing the aircraft to continue flying in the event of an engine failure.
However, twin-engine aircraft are usually larger, heavier and more complex than single-engine planes. They require advanced airport infrastructure such as better runways, navigation systems and air traffic coordination.
“The New General Aviation Aerodrome, Lahore achieved another significant operational milestone today with the successful landing of a twin-engine aircraft, following the recent arrival of a single-engine aircraft,” the PAA said in a statement.
It said the flight was also boarded by Air Vice Marshal Zeeshan Saeed, the director general of the PAA. The move reflected “strong institutional confidence” in the aerodrome’s safety standards, operational capability, and overall readiness, it added.
“The landing was conducted with exceptional precision and professionalism, demonstrating the aerodrome’s robust operational framework, technical preparedness, and effective airside coordination in accordance with contemporary aviation requirements,” the PAA said.
It said the landing represented a “major advancement” in Pakistan’s general aviation sector and underscores the PAA’s commitment to enhancing regional aviation capacity, strengthening infrastructure and promoting excellence in aviation development.
