Islamabad:
For the first time, a Hindu woman from Buner district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has filed her nomination papers for a general seat in the upcoming polls in Pakistan, Dawn reported.
General elections will be held in Pakistan on February 8, 2024 to elect the members of the 16th National Assembly.
Saveera Parkash has officially filed her nomination papers for the general seat of PK-25 in Buner district.
Ms Parkash is a member of the Hindu community and is optimistic about contesting the elections on a Pakistan People's Party (PPP) ticket. She follows in the footsteps of her father, Oam Parkash, a recently retired doctor and a past committed member of the PPP. 35 years.
A local politician, Saleem Khan, affiliated with the Qaumi Watan Party, noted that Parkash is the first woman from Buner to have filed nomination papers for the upcoming elections for a general seat, as reported by Dawn on Monday.
Parkash, a 2022 graduate of Abbottabad International Medical College, is general secretary of the PPP women's wing in Buner. She expressed her commitment to the well-being of the community and emphasized her desire to work for the betterment of women, ensure a safe environment and advocate for their rights.
She also highlighted the historical neglect and oppression of women in the development sector and wants to address these issues if elected.
In an interview with Dawn, Ms Parkash spoke about her ambitions to follow in her father's footsteps and work for the underprivileged in the area. She filed her nomination papers on December 23 and expressed hope that the PPP's senior leadership would endorse her candidacy.
Ms. Parkash, who has a background in medicine, emphasized that her commitment to “serving humanity is in my blood.” Her dream of becoming an elected lawmaker stems from her first-hand experiences of poor management and helplessness in government hospitals during her medical career.
Imran Noshad Khan, a social media influencer from Buner, expressed his full support for Saveera Parkash irrespective of her political affiliation. He praised her for breaking stereotypes perpetuated by traditional patriarchy, and stressed the importance of a woman stepping forward to contest elections in a region where it has taken 55 years since Buner merged with Pakistan.
Recent amendments by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) mandate that women candidates should field five percent in general seats, Dawn reported.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)