Kalash elated after community member set to become KP Assembly member

CHITRAL: The Kalasha are happy as one of their members is set to make it to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly for the first time on the reserved seat for the minority on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ticket.

Kalash people are the smallest ethnoreligious community in the country and are famous for their unique culture.

A young and energetic, Wazirzada, hails from the Rambur area of the Kalash valley. He was nominated by the PTI on the reserved seat for minorities. Keeping in view the two-third seats won by the party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the July 25 general election, Wazirzada is sure to be elected to the provincial assembly.

Wazirzada is an educated man from the area with a master’s degree in Political Science.

He had an affiliation with the Pakistan People’s Party when he was a college and university student. Later, he joined the PTI.

Wazirzada extensively worked and made the PTI a popular party not only in his native Rambur but also in neighbouring Birir valley. The people of both the Kalash valleys voted enthusiastically during the July 25 general elections.

The Kalash MPA-elect carries out social work side by side political activity. He has been working as a manager with the Ayun valleys Development Programme for years.

He launched and completed a number of development schemes not only in the Kalash valleys – Rambur, Birir and Bamburet – but also in Ayun village. The uplift projects by the government in these areas are almost next to nil.

It is for the first time in the history of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that a member of the Kalash community has been elected to the provincial assembly. No political party had awarded the ticket to the Kalash community member in the past.

The situation was not different even when there was a separate electorate system. Kalash had a considerable population compared to other minorities but that too failed to win them representation in the legislature due to wrangling within the minorities ranks.

Now the minorities have special seats under the joint electorate system. It goes to the PTI credit that it gave the ticket meant for minorities to the Kalash community member.

The members of the Kalash community expect the ministry for minority affairs for Wazirzada as they say he is educated and has the abilities to be assigned a ministry.