ISLAMABAD: In a ancient first for Pakistan, a Dalit girl from the country’s marginalised Hindu group has been elected to the Senate, the upper space of the parliament. Krishna Kumari Kolhi, a 39-year-old Hindu Dalit girl, was elected senator on a girls’s seat from Sindh. She is a member of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari-led Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
Her election represents a big milestone for girls and minority rights in Pakistan. Earlier, PPP had elected first Hindu girl named Ratna Bhagwandas Chawla as a senator. Dalits, too, have been elected on PPP tickets from Sindh previously but Kolhi is the primary girl from the scheduled caste to turn out to be a senator.
The first non-Muslim Dalit senator in Pakistan was Dr Khatumal Jeewan. He was also elected by means of PPP on a general seat in 2009. Engineer Gianchand was the second Dalit to be elected as senator on a general seat by means of PPP in 2015. Kolhi hails from Nagarparkar village in Tharparkar district of Sindh province, where girls are deprived of elementary fundamental rights.
Being a sufferer of bonded labour at the side of her folks, a common observe in Tharparkar, Kolhi fought hunger and poverty in her early lifestyles. She was married to Lalchand at the age of 16, when she was learning in 9th grade. However, she pursued her studies, and in 2013, she did masters in sociology from the Sindh University. “Fortunately my husband and inlaws have been extraordinarily supportive and inspired me to proceed my education,” she instructed a local information channel. “We didn’t have electrical energy so I used to review with the help of an oil lantern,” she added.
While at college, she actively labored againstbonded labour, sexual harassment at workplaces, and for the rights of girls and deficient people of her village. “I can no longer most effective constitute girls of Tharparkar but act as a consultant for girls around the nation and talk for their rights,” Krishna said whilst highlighting kid marriages and forced conversions as major problems faced by means of the folks of Tharparkar. “I can fight for implementation of the regulations in constitution drafted for the rights of girls. There are regulations for rights of girls but none of them have been implemented,” she said.
Her election represents a big milestone for girls and minority rights in Pakistan. Earlier, PPP had elected first Hindu girl named Ratna Bhagwandas Chawla as a senator. Dalits, too, have been elected on PPP tickets from Sindh previously but Kolhi is the primary girl from the scheduled caste to turn out to be a senator.
The first non-Muslim Dalit senator in Pakistan was Dr Khatumal Jeewan. He was also elected by means of PPP on a general seat in 2009. Engineer Gianchand was the second Dalit to be elected as senator on a general seat by means of PPP in 2015. Kolhi hails from Nagarparkar village in Tharparkar district of Sindh province, where girls are deprived of elementary fundamental rights.
Being a sufferer of bonded labour at the side of her folks, a common observe in Tharparkar, Kolhi fought hunger and poverty in her early lifestyles. She was married to Lalchand at the age of 16, when she was learning in 9th grade. However, she pursued her studies, and in 2013, she did masters in sociology from the Sindh University. “Fortunately my husband and inlaws have been extraordinarily supportive and inspired me to proceed my education,” she instructed a local information channel. “We didn’t have electrical energy so I used to review with the help of an oil lantern,” she added.
While at college, she actively labored againstbonded labour, sexual harassment at workplaces, and for the rights of girls and deficient people of her village. “I can no longer most effective constitute girls of Tharparkar but act as a consultant for girls around the nation and talk for their rights,” Krishna said whilst highlighting kid marriages and forced conversions as major problems faced by means of the folks of Tharparkar. “I can fight for implementation of the regulations in constitution drafted for the rights of girls. There are regulations for rights of girls but none of them have been implemented,” she said.
Meet Krishna Kolhi, Pakistan's 1st Dalit woman senator
![Meet Krishna Kolhi, Pakistan's 1st Dalit woman senator]()
Reviewed by Kailash
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March 05, 2018
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