Who Is Saveera Parkash, Hindu Woman Fighting Pakistan Polls from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Buner?

Saveera Parkash officially submitted her nomination papers for the upcoming general elections in Pakistan becoming the first Hindu woman from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Buner to contest for the elections, Pakistan-based newspaper the Dawn said in a report.

Pakistan will go to polls on February 8 to elect the members of the 16th National Assembly.

Parkash, who is contesting on a Pakistan People’s Party ticket, officially submitted her nomination papers for the general seat of PK-25 in Buner district last week.

She remains optimistic about contesting the elections on a PPP ticket as she follows her father, Om Prakash’s, lead. Om Parkash, a doctor, retired recently from the medical profession and is a dedicated member of the PPP for the past 35 years.

Saleem Khan, a local politician affiliated with the Qaumi Watan Party, highlighted while speaking to the Pakistan-based newspaper the Dawn that Saveera is the first woman from Buner to submit nomination papers for the upcoming elections on a general seat.

Saveera Parkash graduated from the Abbottabad International Medical College in 2022. She served as the general secretary of the PPP women’s wing in Buner. She has expressed her desire to work for the betterment of women and advocating for their rights, while fighting for a safe environment for them.

She says that if she is elected she will address the historical neglect and suppression of women in the development sector. She told the newspaper that she wants to work for the underprivileged.

Saveera told the newspaper that “serving humanity” is in her blood and she chose to become an elected legislator after her firsthand experiences with poor management and helplessness in government hospitals which she witnessed during her medical career.

Saveera was applauded by Imran Noshad Khan, a social media influencer from Buner who told the newspaper that he wholeheartedly endorses Saveera Parkash, irrespective of her political affiliation. He highlighted that she broke stereotypes kept alive by traditional patriarchy. He said the Saveera’s nomination was significant because it took over 55 years for a woman to step forward to contest the elections in Buner.