PESHAWAR: Following in the footsteps of her slain husband, Samar Haroon Bilour entered politics to continue the family’s legacy and soon became the first woman to win a general seat in Peshawar the capital city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
She was not prepared to enter this chapter of her life, but circumstances forced Samar into it when Haroon Bilour was killed in a suicide blast at an election rally in Peshawar, two weeks before the 2018 general election.
“I was not ready to enter into politics when Haroon was assassinated. The whole family was shattered and my both sons pushed me to take part in elections,” Samar narrated to Arab News how she took over her husband’s place at the Awami National Party (ANP).
Samar Haroon Bilour is visiting her constituency in Peshawar on Feb. 23, 2020. (Photo courtesy: Samar Haroon Bilour)
Haroon’s father, Bashir Ahmad Bilour, a lawmaker and former provincial minister, was also killed by a suicide bomber during an ANP meeting six years earlier.
The 2018 election was Samar’s first formal foray into politics, but state affairs is not a new realm for her.
“Being the eldest daughter of a politician, I certainly had an interest in politics and it was in my blood,” Samar said, referring to her father, Irfanullah Marwat, who multiple times served as member of the Sindh Assembly.
While the Bilour family’s political fame and supporter base in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa helped Samar win the election, she has not rested on laurels and works to strengthen her political stature.
Samar Haroon Bilour talks to Arab News during an interview at the Bilour family house in Peshawar, Feb. 24, 2020. (AN photo)
“I am working passionately, very hard, I don’t want my time to pass at the assembly’s hall or in seminars,” she said, explaining that as she seeks to prove herself as the people’s representative.
Being the first female elected lawmaker from Peshawar, Samar had to establish her place and gain the trust of people.
“This is a male dominated setup, I have to deal with men every day. Now I have settled myself in this culture. People approach me with their problems and discuss them with me. My own life and happiness suffered a lot, but this is my role destined by God,” she said.
Samar’s constituents see in her an heir to the Bilour family’s legacy.
Samar Haroon Bilour is visiting her constituency in Peshawar on Feb. 23, 2020. (Photo courtesy: Samar Haroon Bilour)
Wahab Momand, who runs a business in Peshawar and has for decades supported the Bilours, said that “Samar carries the same progressive nationalist political agenda as her martyred husband and father-in-law.”
“They suffered a lot for their stance against militants and for safeguarding the Peshawar valley,” Momand said.
Sumbal Ahmad, a college teacher from Peshawar said that Samar means a lot to women’s representation in the province, as now they have a lawmaker to reach out to.
“Meeting male members of the parliament is odd and difficult. But now it is very easy for women to meet approach Samar and share their issues with her,” Sumbal said.
“She is now a vital voice of the people.”
