First female Dalit elected as senator

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan elected its first female senator from the lowest Dalit caste in weekend polls.

The surprise victory of opposition candidate Krishna Kumari Kohli in the Senate election stirred a wave of optimism on social media, as Pakistanis celebrated the rare success for a woman from a marginalised community at the bottom of the Hindu caste hierarchy.

"I feel proud, I am thankful to Pakistan People's Party that they nominated me," Kohli told AFP Sunday.

"Kudos to PPP for electing #KrishnaKohli.... Our parliament should have representatives of all religions, classes & genders in pursuit of true democracy," tweeted rights activist Jibran Nasir.