For the first time in the country's 70-year history, a man from the Kalash community has been nominated for a minority seat in one of the country's legislatures.
Wazir Zada, who hails from Chitral, has been awarded a ticket for a reserved minority seat in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).
Although Wazir Zada has been listed as the party's second choice on the priority list submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan, it is the first time a member of the Kalash community has been nominated for a lawmaking post.
Editorial: Kalash decline
His election can bring some vital governmental representation to the Kalash people, who form Pakistan's smallest ethno-religious community and have been facing the threat of extinction to their identity. In fact, the National Commission on Human Rights had warned last year that the Kalash population has fallen to roughly 4,000 people only.
Kudos to PTI for giving the Kalash a chance to make their voices heard!
Read more about Wazir Zada and his community here.
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