Pakistan Elects Its First Hindu Dalit Woman Senator

Pakistan, a Muslim majority country, has elected Krishna Kumari Kolhi as its first Hindu Dalit woman senator from Sindh province. Member of the Bilawal Bhutto Zardari-led Pakistan People’s Party, the 39-year-old Kolhi represented the party from Thar.

The party awarded her the senate ticket and the lawmakers elected her as Senator on a minority seat from Sindh. Kolhi belongs to the opposition party.

Her surprise victory has stunned the country and brought a positive outlook of Pakistan on social media. "I feel proud, I am thankful to Pakistan People's Party that they nominated me," Kolhi told AFP

Kolhi’s election proves influential as it appears as a landmark decision in favour of women and minority rights in Pakistan. PPP has elected one more Hindu woman senator in the past, Ratna Bhagwandas Chawla.

Belonging from a remote village in Nagarparkar district of Thar in Sindh province, Kolhi was born in a poor peasant family. She and her family lived under confinement in a private jail owned by the landlord of Kunri of Umerkot district. When she started living in the jail, she was studying in grade three.

Hindus in Pakistan are a mere 2 per cent among its 200 million strong population

The new senator got married at the age of 16 when she was studying in ninth grade. Kolhi did not let go of studying and graduated in Sociology from Singh University.

She joined PPP along with her brother as a social activist, working towards the betterment of poor and financial unstable community of Thar and nearby areas.

Hindus in Pakistan are a mere 2 per cent among its 200million strong population and are often discriminated by the majority groups of the country.

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Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which holds power, won 15 seats in the senate, securing a total of 33 spots in the 104-seat upper house. This along with support from allies all but earns the party a dominating majority in the chamber.

Provincial and federal lawmakers elected a total of 52 senators in the Senate elections, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Total number of seats included twelve seats each from Punjab and Sindh, 11 each from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. It also comprised of four from tribal region and two from federal capital territory.

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Picture Credit: Inkhabar