While the Conservatives defied pollsters and carried the day in the recently held British elections and will now form a majority government, for Pakistanis there is something else to cheer about: this election year 10 British Pakistanis have made it to the House of Commons.

The members represent Labour, the Tories as well as the Scottish National Party.

This is said to be the most diverse British parliament ever; a number of Indian and Bangladeshi members will also sit in the Commons. While the first person of subcontinental origin to sit in the British parliament was Dadabhai Naoroji back in the late 19th century, in the modern age it wasn’t till the late 1980s that British Asians started to make their presence felt inside the Commons.

Read: Ten of Pakistani origin make it to British parliament

Since then, their numbers have grown steadily, while former Punjab governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar was the first Muslim and Pakistani-origin MP. However it has been pointed out that while the number of minority MPs may be rising in parliament, the Commons is not as diverse as the electorate.

The election of these British Pakistanis is certainly a good sign. It shows that British citizens of Pakistani origin are engaging with their political system and have to a considerable degree integrated with the local culture. It also shows that despite the scaremongering of the far right in Europe, multiculturalism seems to be working in the UK.

For example, the election indicates that British society largely accepts diversity and that voters are willing to vote for persons of colour.

This level of acceptability cannot be found in many other parts of Europe. Having said that, there are a number of challenges that remain where the integration of Muslims, including Pakistanis, into British society is concerned.

Read: Cameron's Conservatives win big in surprise UK election

For one, extremism remains a major issue, as borne out by the alarming number of British jihadis — said to be in the hundreds — who have made it to the battlefields of the Middle East.

Also, many immigrants, while enjoying the benefits of the British system, hold local laws and traditions in contempt. Islamophobia remains a problem too as the hard right in Europe seeks to demonise all Muslims for political ends. It is hoped that the increased presence of Pakistani-origin MPs in the British parliament will help address many of these outstanding problems in a progressive, judicious fashion, since these individuals serve as a bridge between the British system and their community.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play