Veteran Politician Ghulam Ahmed Bilour Announces Retirement from Electoral Politics

Peshawar: Veteran Awami National Party (ANP) leader and former federal minister Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour has announced his retirement from electoral politics at the age of 86, citing alleged interference by the establishment and personal security concerns.

Addressing a press conference at Bilour House, Bilour said the establishment did not even consider his age and claimed that he was defeated on a seat he had won. “I served the country and the nation in politics for 55 years, but those who do not bow or sell themselves are not needed,” he remarked, adding that he had been defeated three times due to these reasons.

The senior ANP leader said that while Pakistan had defeated India on the battlefield, it was lagging behind economically, urging rulers and all political parties to think seriously about the country’s future.

Bilour also defended the 18th Constitutional Amendment, saying some people label it as “nonsense” without understanding its importance. He compared the amendment to the Objectives Resolution and warned that any attempt to tamper with it would harm the country.

He stated that the decision on who would contest elections from his seat would be taken by the party leadership. “I am leaving behind a strong party. I am leaving Peshawar, but I will be buried in this soil,” he said.

Clarifying his stance, Bilour said he was withdrawing from electoral politics but not from politics altogether. He added that circumstances had made it difficult for him to continue living alone in Peshawar, and therefore he was relocating to Islamabad.