Dr Saveera Parkash #Hindu_woman to fight #elections in Pakistan

Dr Saveera Parkash, a Hindu woman and a doctor, hopes to become the first female minority candidate to win a general seat in Pakistan’s parliament from Buner district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Parkash, 25, is a member of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), one of the the main parties led by former president Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Her father, Oam Parkash, a retired doctor, has been a loyal supporter of the PPP for 35 years. She filed her nomination papers for the PK-25 constituency after the party’s senior leadership asked her father to let her run for the seat. She faces tough competition from candidates of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and other parties. “I want to serve the poor people of my area, especially the women who have been suppressed and neglected for a long time,” Parkash told Dawn. “I want to create a safe space for them and help them get their rights and opportunities.” Parkash completed her MBBS degree from the Abbo