PPP fields a Dalit for Senate seat

LAHORE
PAKISTAN People’s Party (PPP) has pitched a Hindu, hailing from the district of Tharparkar and belonging to a low caste from a general seat for the Senate elections to be held in March.
Engineer Gayan Chand, a former MPA of 1993 who belongs to Meghwaar community of Hindus from Tharparkar has been awarded the Senate ticket on a general seat from Sindh. In the Hindu caste system, Bheels and Meghwaars are considered people belonging to a humble class (scheduled caste or Dalit).
From the district of Tharparkar, he is the second figure who has been accommodated from this class as Kathumal, another Hindu figure who hails from Bheels and belongs to the district of Tharparkar is the PPP MPA on reserved seat.
Dr Mahesh Malani, the elected MPA of PPP from a provincial seat of Tharparkar, however, represents the Brahman community. Sources said that PPP senior leader Senator Taj Haider, who is also active in looking after the Reverse Osmosis and coal mine project in Sindh, has strongly lobbied for him.
Already, the PPP government in Sindh has been under criticism over the deaths in Tharparkar as well as several other issues related to governance and party leadership has decided to take all possible measures to include people from the district in the process of legislation and ensure maximum representation of the district in parliament. Other not members who are contesting from general seats for the Upper House of parliament include former Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Latif Ansari, Islam-ud-Din Sheikh, Salim Mandiwala. Former Law Minister and Chairman Senate Farooq H Naek is contesting on technocrat seat whereas on woman seat, Sassi Palejo has been pitched. Sassi’s father was also an MPA of PPP and a real brother of renowned Sindh nationalist Rasool Bakhsh Palejo. Sassi had lost the 2013 general election from Thatta amid severe allegations of rigging against Shirazis who won the seat. Figures like Farooq Naek and Rehman Malik belong to Punjab but they are contesting from Sindh.
Engineer Gayan Chand, the PPP candidate for the Senate general seat from Sindh while talking to The News said, it was a matter of immense pride for him to represent his area in the Upper House of parliament. He said he was thankful to the party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari for awarding him the ticket, adding that it had proved that PPP was the only party of the country where there had been no issue of majority or minority. He said there was a dire need to defeat the extremist mindset and all democratic forces must exhibit unity to defeat terrorism.
Gayan Chand was elected MPA on the seats reserved for minorities in 1993 general elections as independent candidate and joined PPP. He was pitched as PPP candidate from PS-60 Tharparkar in 2002 and 2013 elections against Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim but lost. Son of a primary school teacher, he described his nomination as party’s love towards the people of Tharparkar.