Sunita Parmar, first minority Hindu woman to contest on general seat from Thar Desert

Mithi: For the first time in Sindh’s Thar Desert, a Hindu scheduled cast woman has announced to contest in general elections that will be held on July 25 this year.

Sunita Parmar, a woman from Meghwar community will contest for Sindh Assembly constituency PS-56, in Islamkot area of Tharparkar district.

Sindh’s southern bordering district Tharparkar has the highest number of Hindus minorities in Pakistan. According to census 2017 total population of District Tharparkar is 1.6 million populations out of which around half of the population is Hindus.

Sunita belongs to Meghwar community, a community was considered to be an untouchable community under the Hindu ritual ranking system now classified as a scheduled caste.

In her video message, that is going viral, Sunita blamed ruling political parties in Sindh for worsening conditions of women, especially in education and health sector.

In her video message, she said that those institutions who conduct big programs on women rights and politicians who talk on the same subject have failed to provide basic facilities like education and health that includes maternity homes. Sindh’s every village depicts the same picture, she added.

 

“Politicians imprison the women. From this, it can be gauged that how much they are sincere with the prosperity of women,” she blamed.

According to Sunita, in Thar’s history, no political party has given a ticket to any woman for the general seat because these parties know that women are honest and would oppose their rigging and will a be hurdle in their corrupt practices.

Without naming ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) who completed two consecutive terms of government in Sindh, Sunita said rulers insulted women for making them hardships for the wheat bag.

“Through this video, I want to say that during last one decade you have insulted the Thar’s women on the name of wheat bag, sewing machine and Benazir Income Support Program Card which is condemnable. On one hand, you imprison the women while on the other hand, you make them go through hardship for just one wheat bag,” she stated.

Sunita further added that she doesn’t have any enmity with any political party but her struggle is just for women rights.

“I don’t have any enmity or opposition with anyone but it is need of the hour that women’s existence and capabilities should be accepted. My goals are very clear. I want to work for girls’ education and play my role in providing basic health facilities on every doorstep,” she announced.

Sunita said national and international media focused on deaths of children in Thar due to malnutrition but paid little focus on mothers’ health.