First Hindu Woman Judge in Pakistan

Islamabad: Suman Kumari has become the first Hindu woman to be appointed as a civil judge in Pakistan. Ms. Kumari, who hails from Qambar-Shahdadkot in Sindh province, will serve in her native district. She passed her LLB examination from Hyderabad and did her Masters in Law from Karachi’s Szabist University.
“I have entered the field of law because I know that in the backward areas of Sindh, poor people need a lot of advice and assistance in legal matters,” she said. “My father and my family supported me a lot, as in our community it is not easy for women to enter such fields,” she said. Ms. Kumari’s father, Dr. Pawan Kumar Bodan, an eye specialist, wants his daughter to provide free legal assistance to the poor people, especially from the Hindu community. “Suman has opted for a challenging profession, but I am sure she will go places through hard work and honesty,” he said. Ms. Kumari said it was important for the Hindu community to realise that it needs to educate its children.
The country’s first judge from the Hindu community was Justice Rana Bhagwandas, who served as the acting Chief Justice for brief period between 2005 and 2007. Last year, Mahesh Kumar Malani became the first non-Muslim to be elected on a general seat in the National Assembly while a Thari woman, Krishna Kumari, was elected in Pakistan’s Senate elections. Hindus make up nearly 2% of Pakistan’s total population and Hinduism remains the second largest religion in Pakistan after Islam.