Pakistan elects first female Dalit senator

DAILY MAIL, 04th FEBRUARY, 2018
Pakistan elected its first female senator from the lowest Dalit caste in weekend polls which also saw the ruling party strengthen its hand ahead of a general election in the Muslim-majority country.

The surprise victory of opposition candidate Krishna Kumari Kohli in the Senate election stirred a wave of optimism on social media, as Pakistanis celebrated the rare success for a woman from a marginalised community at the bottom of the Hindu caste hierarchy.

“I feel proud, I am thankful to Pakistan People’s Party that they nominated me,” Kohli told AFP Sunday.

“Kudos to PPP for electing #KrishnaKohli.... Our parliament should have representatives of all religions, classes & genders in pursuit of true democracy,” tweeted rights 
activist Jibran Nasir.

Pakistan’s Hindus, who make up around two percent of the country’s 200 million people, have long faced economic and social discrimination.