First Hindu woman to contest elections from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani-Hindu Dr. Sawira Prakash is going to become the first woman candidate from the minority community to stand from Buner district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the upcoming general elections.

According to Dawn report, Prakash submitted his nomination papers for the PK-25 general seat on December 23.

She currently serves as the general secretary of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) women’s wing in the district, and hopes to contest the elections on the party’s ticket.

General elections are to be held in Pakistan on February 8 next year to elect members of the 16th National Assembly.
Prakash completed his MBBS from Abbottabad International Medical College in 2022. He told Dawn that “serving humanity is in my blood” because of his medical background.

He said that his dream of becoming an elected MLA originated from the poor management and helplessness he experienced in government hospitals as a doctor.

Prakash told the daily that she wanted to follow her father’s footsteps in working for the poor of the area.

His father Om Prakash, a recently retired doctor, was an active member of the party for the last 35 years.

Supporting Prakash’s candidature, social media influencer Imran Noshad Khan wrote on X: “Dr. Savera Prakash is the first woman candidate from Buner, which is a historic moment as women have not previously engaged in electoral politics in the region”.

“I wholeheartedly support them in breaking stereotypes,” he said.

The Election Commission of Pakistan mandates at least 5 percent representation of women candidates on general seats.