Tanzeela Qambrani has made history. As the first Sheedi (African-Pakistani) woman to make it all the way to Parliament.
The Sheedi community is a small one; totalling no more than 50,000. Most of whom have settled in the Makran area of Balochistan and in parts of Sindh. Tanzeela’s ancestors were originally from Tanzania. This tiny minority group suffered systematic discrimination under British colonial rule. Sadly, the situation is not very different today. Thus this victory becomes even more important. Ditto when it comes to Tanzeela’s heartfelt commitment to eradicating such deeply-held prejudices.
Having joined the PPP back in 2010, she was, this time around, nominated on a reserved seat for women. To be sure, this is not a case of casual tokenism. A computer science graduate, Tanzeela has spent the last 12 years involved in social- and community-based activism. Her main focus was and remains women’s education. As a means of achieving economic independence and participating in the decision-making process; even at the familial level.
Tanzeela’s hard work and determination got her to where she is today: the Sindh Assembly. Yet, by her own admission, a fair portion of the credit goes to the PPP; a party that recognises the intersectionality of gender and minority status. Indeed, Krishna Kumari Kolhi who became the country’s first-ever Hindu Dalit female Senator back in March, is also a PPP woman. Both political figures represent true success stories. For neither comes from a privileged background. Rather, both have worked at the grassroots level and then proceeded to the top by way of sheer sweat and grit.
Lastly, on a lighter note, when Tanzeela attended the oath-taking ceremony, she did so while confidently celebrating her cultural heritage; resplendent in traditional African dress and headdress. And as she did so, she threw the spotlight on Pakistan’s so-called soft face far more effectively than had she, say, been filmed dancing around inside the national carrier. *
Published in Daily Times, August 15th 2018.