For a first for Pakistan, a woman who hails from a declassed community that is a part of a minority in the Muslim-majority country of Pakistan got elected and has become the first Dalit Hindu woman senator ever.
Krishna Kumari Kohli, 39, a member of the Bilawal Bhutto Zardari led Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) belongs to the remote village of Dhana Gam in Nagarparkar of Sindh province.
In her interview with DW she said,
“As daughter of a peasant in Sindh province, it was unimaginable that I could become member of the upper house of parliament one day. As a child, I had to work very hard as a bonded laborer. So when the Pakistan People’s Party (headed by Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto before her assassination in 2007) chose me for the Senate seat (reserved seat), I was really surprised. Not only me, but the whole Hindu community in Pakistan was excited.”
Also read: Pakistan’s Caste System Is Scarier Than India’s
A big move
Indeed it is a time for celebration for the Hindu community in Pakistan not only because they will be represented better but by a person who they have belief can bring about a change.
Krishna Kumari is an activist and has been working on campaigns to create awareness about health, education, human rights, bonded labor and other issues in her constituency in Thar district.
Now that she has power in her hands, she will be able to work toward her initiative better.
“Kudos to PPP for electing #KrishnaKohli…. Our parliament should have representatives of all religions, classes & genders in pursuit of true democracy,” tweeted rights activist Jibran Nasir.
The condition of minorities in Pakistan
Despite efforts from the Pakistani government, Hindus have migrated from Pakistan due to the mistreatment and discrimination.
Many people live in fear of their lives and property due to an increase in religious intolerance in recent years. Hindus, who are nearly 4 percent of the country’s population of approximately 200 million people, mostly live in southern Sindh.
In recent years, the Hindu minority have asserted that they are being forcefully converted by Islamic extremists.
In fact not only Hindus, instances of mistreatment of the minorities in Pakistan are common. Many Christian residents of the Shahdara town in Lahore have been fleeing the area due to the latest blasphemy debate.
Islamic extremists and even the ‘common Muslims’ have set Christians’ houses on fire and even went ahead to lynch in some cases without the case being touched by the authorities.
The Election
Previously Hindus have been elected to Parliament in both the houses, two male Hindus from the Dalit caste from the PPP have been elected as senators. However, it is a first for a Hindu Dalit woman.
With the recent elections, Nawaz Sharif’s party has a majority of 33 seats in the upper house of parliament, winning 15 in Saturday’s elections.
Former President Asif Zardari’s party came in second, followed by the party led by the cricket sensation of his times, Imran Khan.
His party the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party won six while the PPP won 12.
“Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has secured a clear majority in the Senate polls,” the party announced late Saturday on its official Twitter account.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: NYTimes, Al-Jazeera, DW
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What a load of opportunistic rubbish from the Islamic republic, picking and choosing a lower caste purely for political purposes, in the mean time Hindus and Christians area treated like dirt whilst in India you find Muslims and CHristians in politics, media and sport.
Temple rat. Your country “largest farce democracy in the world” my azz. The lynching, burning of minorities alive. If I go on the list of prosecution in India, you will pee in your dohti.