Who is Saveera Parkash? Pak's First Hindu Woman To Contest Elections

A Hindu woman from Pakistan's Buner in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be contesting the February 2024 general elections. Saveera Parkash is the country's first Hindu woman and Buner's first woman to file a nomination for elections. The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) candidate submitted her nomination papers for the general seat of PK-25 on Saturday, December 23. Parkash is a medical school graduate who now serves as the general secretary of the PPP women's wing in Buner. According to a report in Dawn, Parkash is committed to the welfare of her community and country and advocates for women's rights and upliftment.

Her father, Oam Parkash, is also a retired doctor and a PPP member for over three and a half decades. She said that she is optimistic about the support she will receive during the elections, given her family's long affiliation with politics and the work they have done over the years for societal betterment.

Who Is Saveera Parkash?

As a woman from a minority community, Parkash told Dawn that women's empowerment is her utmost priority as a candidate. She elucidated the historical oppression of women's contribution to the country's development, stating that she would work to to highlight the engagement of women in society when elected.

Saveera Parkash is a 2022 graduate of Abbottabad International Medical College and emphasised that serving people has been her ultimate goal, whether with medicine or with leadership. "Serving humanity is in my blood," she told Dawn. She said that her aspiration to work for the people stems from her firsthand experience in the medical career.

She said that noticing the neglected state of government hospitals and medical schools, as well as the helplessness of poor patients and their families were the driving force that made her want to pursue politics. The 25-year-old will be one among the 3,139 women candidates in the upcoming elections. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, 5% of seats are reserved for women.

The Pakistan general elections will see a tough battle between top leaders including former Prime Ministers like Shehbaz Sharif, his brother Nawaz Sharif, and cricketer-turned-jailed leader Imran Khan. Reportedly, Talha Saeed, the son of Hafiz Saeed who orchestrated the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, is contesting the elections from their party, the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML).