The other side of elections: Pakistan's Dalit women assert for their rights by seeking space in country's politics

Krishna Kumari

By Sheshi Babu
As election results are almost declared, Pakistan is entering the new phase of governance under a new premier. Hindus comprise about 1.85% of Pakistan’s population. In fact, it has the fifth largest Hindu population in the world. Pakistan’s census separates scheduled castes from the main body of the Hindu population; thus they constitute a further 0.25% of national population. Clearly, Dalits constitute significant numbers in the population of Pakistan.
However, according to Chander Kumar, an activist, more than 85% of Hindus are Dalits. They claim to be living in the region which now called Pakistan for the last over 5000 years.
Chander Kumar has analyzed the plight of Dalits, citing work done by the Royal Mandate of the Dalit Development Programme. Several members of Dalit Programme identified the problems faced by Dalits in Pakistan, viz. caste discrimination, lack of education, technical skills, water shortage, overwhelming of the community engaged in hard labor and manual work etc.
Dalits also face hardships from the dominant Muslim community. Both Hindu upper castes and Muslim majority overlook them and do not address their problems on the political stage. Dalits in Pakistan remain in dire straits.
Dalits have tried to take on the ruling establishment, but it seems to be an arduous struggle. They have had to counter Muslim domination. They are struggling to come out of the narrow-minded of the ruling sections. The usual struggle in Pakistan against mass tyranny from those in power has continued.
Krishna Kumari became the first woman from the Kohili community of Hindus to be elected as a senator through the Pakistan People’s Party ticket. She is the second Hindu woman after Ratna Bhagwan Chawla, but first one from the Dalit community to be elected. She is a human rights activist.
In her interview with “Asia Times”, she claimed that discrimination of Dalits exists in India and not in Pakistan. She abhors being labeled a Dalit and insists that she would work for all Hindu and Muslim backward people in her area. She said, “We are not Dalit in Pakistan. These discriminations exist in India but not among us indigenous Hindus in Pakistan.”
Though there may not be stark caste discrimination as in India, Dalits in Pakistan also face problems. Since the entire Hindu community is being persecuted by the rulers, differences between castes in Hindus of Pakistan may have remained dormant. Other senators of the Hindu community also condemned the tag of 'untouchable' being labeled on her.
Meanwhile, two Dalit women, Radha Bheel and Lelan Lohar, contested as independents candidates from Mirpur Khas district of Sindh. In 2016, Bheel, along with some other members of the Dalit community, started a movement called Dalit Sujaag Tehreek (DST) to highlight the conditions of backward classes.
Contrary to Krishna Kumari views, Radha Bheel feels that the Dalit community is being discriminated against. She says that though Dalits are in a majority, tickets are given mostly to upper castes candidates. According to her, “No party focuses on the issues we are facing...”
Lohar, on the other hand, says that her real fight is with feudal lords, and points out that she was threatened and asked to withdraw her candidature, or face grave consequences. She was married at a very early age, and one of her daughters died due to ill-treatment by in-laws after getting married at a young age.
There are others Dalits too who filed papers for the recent elections. Some contested on general seats. One of them, a differently-abled, Ansoo Kohili, is inspiring. Earlier, Sunita Parmar, a mid-aged woman from Meghwar community, had filed her nomination papers to fight from a constituency in Tharparkar district. Following her, five more Dalit women have come forward to contest. They all are not satisfied with selection of candidates from upper castes.
Though the results may or may not reflect the victories of these women, their courage to contest should be appreciated. In a Muslim dominated country, Dalit women are taking up the cudgels to fight theocracy of the dominant religion as well as caste conflict in the Hindu community. Dalit power is becoming a potent force in Pakistan.

Comments

Grueling summer ahead: Cuttack’s alarming health trends and what they mean for Odisha

By Sudhansu R Das The preparation to face the summer should begin early in Odisha. People in the state endure long, grueling summer months starting from mid-February and extending until the end of October. This prolonged heat adversely affects productivity, causes deaths and diseases, and impacts agriculture, tourism and the unorganized sector. The social, economic and cultural life of the state remains severely disrupted during the peak heat months.

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

The cost of being Indian: How inequality and market logic redefine rights

By Vikas Gupta We, the people of India, are engaged in a daily tryst—read: struggle—for basic human rights. For the seemingly well-to-do, the wish list includes constant water supply, clean air, safe roads, punctual public transportation, and crime-free neighbourhoods. For those further down the ladder, the struggle is starker: food that fills the stomach, water that doesn’t sicken, medicines that don’t kill, houses that don’t flood, habitats at safe distances from polluted streams or garbage piles, and exploitation-free environments in the public institutions they are compelled to navigate.

Why India must urgently strengthen its policies for an ageing population

By Bharat Dogra A quiet but far-reaching demographic transformation is reshaping much of the world. As life expectancy rises and birth rates fall, societies are witnessing a rapid increase in the proportion of older people. This shift has profound implications for public policy, and the need to strengthen frameworks for healthy and secure ageing has never been more urgent. India is among the countries where these pressures will intensify most sharply in the coming decades.

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor* Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

Proposals for Babri Masjid, Ram Temple spark fears of polarisation before West Bengal polls

By A Representative A political debate has emerged in West Bengal following recent announcements about plans for new religious structures in Murshidabad district, including a proposed mosque to be named Babri Masjid and a separate announcement by a BJP leader regarding the construction of a Ram temple in another location within Behrampur.

Search This Blog