When my mother heard the news that Pakistan Peoples Party(PPP) has awarded Krishna Kumari the Senate ticket, she gladly intoned yet the world has to witness the power of Thari women. I am proud of you dear Krishna Kumari”. A late but optimistic decision by the PPP leadership has won the hearts of Sindhi people.
Though in politics a political party designs its plans strategically to get more votes, especially from the people whom its leadership had neglected throughout the recent tenure, but the decision to nominate Kumari is a breakthrough towards empowering the rural women of Sindh.
Shaheed Benazir Bhutto promoted women in politics to empower and encourage them. She introduced many women in the politics who have been a part of PPP’s legacy.
The dark view of rural Sindh is indescribable. The women have been treated like animals for centuries. The sudden rise of a woman from the region bodes well for the rural women of the area.
Everyone in Sindh is aware of how the Kolhi community in Sindh has been mistreated over the years. The remoteness and backwardness of Nagarparkar are enough to elucidate the story of Kumari’s indefatigable struggle to reach the Senate’s doorstep, where not a single woman from Tharparkar has ever reached before.
The decision to nominate Kumari is a breakthrough towards empowering the rural women of Sindh, given the extreme neglect they have faced over the years
The indigenous Thari women have been deprived of the basic needs as compared to the women of other parts of the country because of the unmerited standards set by some hare-brained people. But the way Kumari resisted the troublemakers, is undoubtedly a deed to remember till the cows come home.
As she opened her little but hopeful eyes for the very first time in village Dhana Gam, she found her family trapped in bonded labour. Till they got rid of the debt, she along with her family were exploited by their employer. Her brother Advocate Veerji Kolhi, a rights activist, who is currently in jail for being accused in a fake murder case, has been the mentor of Krishna Kumari.
Kumari received her initial education from Talhi village of district Umerkot and went on to earn a masters degree in sociology from University of Sindh, Jamshoro. She was supported by her brother throughout her educational journey.
In the last local body elections, Veerji Kolhi became the chairman of Union Council Berano as an independent candidate. Later on, he joined hands with the PPP, which is how his family became affiliated with PPP.
Krishna Kumari has been an avid advocate of the women rights by arranging seminars and advocacy campaigns, especially for the deprived Thari women, whom world called the most neglected women in Pakistan. Keeping in mind her struggle throughout her life, the PPP leadership’s encouraging step to promote a lady with an ordinary background is a breath of fresh air for the women dwelling in Sindh. If she becomes a Senator, she would surely try to uplift the incurable status of Thari women and become a voice of thousands of restless rural women of her region.
The writer is a freelance contributor based in Badin and can be reached at [email protected]
Published in Daily Times, February 24th 2018.