Who is Saveera Parkash, first Hindu woman to contest elections in Pakistan?

In a first, Pakistan will witness a Hindu woman running for the polls in the upcoming general elections. Dr Saveera Parkash has filed her nomination from the Buner district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province for elections that are scheduled to be held on 8 February, 2024, to elect the members of the 16th National Assembly in Pakistan. Parkash will compete for the general seat of PK-25 in Buner district. But who is Saveera Parkash? Saveera Parkash is a medical doctor from the Hindu community. Her father, Oam Parkash is a retired doctor who has been an active member of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for 35 years. Following in the footsteps of her father, Parkash will contest the elections on a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) ticket. A local politician, Saleem Khan, who is affiliated with the Qaumi Watan Party, noted Parkash is the first woman from Buner to submit nomination papers for the upcoming elections on a general seat, as reported by Dawn on Monday. Parkash, a 2022 graduate of Abbottabad International Medical College, serves as the general secretary of the PPP women’s wing in Buner. Expressing her commitment to the welfare of the community, she highlighted her desire to work for the betterment of women, ensuring a safe environment and advocating for their rights. She also emphasised the historical neglect and suppression of women in the development sector and aims to address these issues if elected. In an interview with Dawn, Parkash spoke about her aspirations to follow in her father’s footsteps, working for the areas underprivileged. She submitted her nomination papers on 23 December, expressing hope that the senior leadership of the PPP would endorse her candidature. **Also Read: Pakistan elections 2024: How an imprisoned Imran Khan is using AI to campaign** Parkash, with a background in medicine, emphasised that her commitment to “serving humanity is in my blood.” Her dream of becoming an elected legislator stems from her firsthand experiences with poor management and helplessness in government hospitals during her medical career. Imran Noshad Khan, a social media influencer from Buner, expressed his wholehearted endorsement of Saveera Parkash, irrespective of her political affiliation. He commended her for breaking stereotypes perpetuated by traditional patriarchy, emphasising the significance of a woman stepping forward to contest elections in a region where it took 55 years since Buner merged with Pakistan. Recent amendments by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) mandate a five per cent inclusion of women candidates in general seats, Dawn reported. Krishna Kumari Kohli became the first non-Muslim woman to win a women’s reserved seat in Pakistan’s Senate in 2018. In the same year, Radha Bheel and Lelan Lohar, both Hindu Dalit women, ran as independents in the Sindh district of Mirpur Khas, reported The Quint. With inputs from ANI