Saveera Parkash, pronounced as “daughter of Buner”, would set a precedent in Pakistan’s history when she became the first Hindu woman candidate to stand in the February 8 general elections from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. If all goes well, she will achieve this feat at the age of 25. A doctor by profession, she gives credit to education and her father for reaching this far.

Buner, located 156.7km away from Peshawar, is a district like most parts of Pakistan is a Muslim-dominated area. But Hindus and Sikhs minorities have also been living in the district since partition in different areas.

In the recent past, the law and order situation in the lush green area with high mountains and rolling hills has been disturbed. The upcoming government would have a host of challenges to deal with including terrorism.

Although Saveera in her interview with Aaj News did not talk about the above-mentioned issue, she said the solution to every issue was education—an area stressed by many experts to be focused on long-term solutions to issues in society.

“If I get elected my biggest aim,” she said when asked about her priorities.

Read: Who is Saveera Parkash, the first Hindu woman contesting for general seat in Pakistan?

“I think the solution to every issue whether it is poverty, economy, political stability, freedom, or liberal rights, the solution is education. It helps end inequality and gender discrimination,” she said.

She would be contesting the polls on the Pakistan Peoples Party’s ticket on the seat of minorities from PK-25. Saveera’s association with the party was possible due to her father Oam Parkash, who had been an active member of the party for the past 35 years.

She finished her house job after MBBS in August this year. She is currently preparing for the Central Superior Service Exam, according to media reports. Earlier this week, Oam told Aaj News that the people in the district were willing to elect her daughter as their member provincial assembly.

Saveera shared that they were “passively involved” in politics due to her father. She described Oam as a person who does a lot of humanitarian work and serves his Pakhtun community. It was her father’s nature that prompted her to pursue a career in the medical field.

But her house job, which is a must for becoming a doctor, brought her attention to some issues in provincial hospitals like the lack of new equipment that results in patients being referred to hospitals in urban areas. She learned that everyone couldn’t travel from Buner to Peshawar, probably due to financial expenses.

“So, I thought this issue could better be addressed through politics. I saw the solution to the healthcare issue in politics,” Saveera stated.

She was of the view that being elected was about serving people rather than ruling them, urging people to vote for her if they consider her worthy of the seat.

“You have to serve not rule after gaining votes,” she said.