Dr Khatumal Jeewan and Engineer Gianchand the first and second Dalit to be nominated in Pakistan
Krishna Kumari Kohli from Thar in Pakistan’s Sindh province will become the first-ever Dalit woman Senator in the Muslim-majority country, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) said today.
The Election Commission of Pakistan has accepted the papers of the 39-year-old who was nominated by the ruling PPP for a Senate seat on minority from Sindh Assembly. The election will take place on March 3.
“Kohli will be the first-ever Dalit woman in Pakistan who becomes a Senator,” a PPP spokesman said in a statement today.
Pakistan based Tribune wrote, Dalit, which means oppressed or broken people, has become an alternate collective identification for the 40 non-Muslim castes declared in above ordinance 60 years ago. The PPP also nominated the first-ever non-Muslim senator by electing a Dalit Dr Khatumal Jeewan as Senator in 2009 on a general seat. Likewise, Engineer Gianchand is the second Dalit to be elected as Senator in 2015 by the PPP also on a general seat.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari-led PPP also nominated and got elected Hariram Kishorilal as Senator on seat reserved for non-Muslims from Sindh in 2012.
The election will take place on 3 March. Kolhi’s caste is mentioned at no 23 in the Pakistani Schedule Castes Ordinance-1957.