ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s first Hindu female judge Suman Kumari Bodani said it was an honor for her to inspire women from the country’s tiny Hindu minority.
Hindus in Pakistan are now estimated to number around 4 million out of a population estimated at nearly 208 million.
“It is the biggest honor for me to become a role model for families in my community,” Bodani told Arab News in a phone interview. “Especially for those families and those girls who do not permit their girls to go further in education.”
Bodani is also the first female advocate from Shahdadkot City, a densely populated city in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province. She grew up in Hyderabad, and eventually moved to the port city of Karachi to study law.
While working at Rasheed A. Razvi Law Firm, Bodani completed her Masters of Law from Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Law University in Karachi, where she passed with distinction and came third in her class.
“Since childhood I wanted to be an advocate and part of the judiciary,” Bodani said. “This field is highly respectable and full of honor, where everyone can come to get justice.”
When asked what she hopes to do during her tenure, Bodani said that she wanted to work to improve girls’ education, particularly to raise awareness about its importance. given that she was herself an example of the potential women could achieve if they were allowed to pursue their dreams and get an education.
“My family and friends supported me which is how I reached this position and I am so grateful for that support,” Bodani said. “I want to give a message to families who do not support girls education that they should encourage girls to pursue higher education and create their own success, so that they can serve their country as I want to serve my country.”
The first Hindu judge in Pakistan was late Justice Rana Bhagwandas, who also briefly served as Chief Justice of Pakistan.
'Honored to be role model for Hindu community,' says Justice Bodani
'Honored to be role model for Hindu community,' says Justice Bodani
- Justice Sumon Bodani aspires to raise awareness about girls’ education
- Is the first woman advocate from Shahdadkot City in Sindh province
Imran Khan’s party seeks ‘confidence-building measures’ after government’s talks offer
- PTI says access to jailed founding leader essential for talks to be considered credible
- Government says it’s ready for dialogue but nothing will happen until Khan favors the idea
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party said on Saturday it would only consider the government’s offer for talks credible if it is accompanied by “concrete confidence-building measures,” such as unhindered access to its founding leader in a high-security prison in Rawalpindi.
Last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the government was fully prepared to hold a dialogue with Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to address political polarization that has deepened since the downfall of the PTI administration in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022.
PTI has frequently complained about a state crackdown against its top leadership, including Khan and his wife, who are serving prison sentences in multiple cases ranging from corruption charges to inciting violence against state institutions and attacks on government properties.
Sharif’s offer for talks came amid media reports that PTI wanted a dialogue with the government, though he noted that negotiations would not be allowed to proceed on the basis of “blackmailing” or unlawful demands and would only cater to legitimate issues.
“Announcements of talks, without concrete confidence-building measures, cannot be treated as credible progress,” Azhar Leghari, PTI’s central deputy information secretary, told Arab News.
He recalled that Khan had authorized Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas to carry forward with the dialogue process, adding that talks “require trust, and trust cannot be built at the cost of constitutional rights or democratic legitimacy.”
“For dialogue to be meaningful, it is essential that these authorized representatives are allowed regular and unhindered access to Imran Khan so that any engagement accurately reflects his views and PTI’s collective position,” he added.
Khan’s family, party and legal team have complained in the past they are stopped by the authorities from meeting the ex-PM in prison. Last month, they also raised concerns about his health, prompting the officials to allow one of his sisters to meet him, who said he was fine.
Shortly thereafter, a scathing message was posted on his social media account, criticizing the army chief. Khan’s post elicited a bitter response from the government and the military amid accusations of inciting people against state institutions.
Leghari’s comments came only a day after Rana Sanaullah, adviser to Prime Minister Sharif on political affairs, said PTI’s “second- or third-tier leadership” wanted dialogue, but nothing was going to happen until Khan favored these negotiations.
He also maintained that while the government was ready for talks, “uncertainty and delays from PTI are preventing progress.”
Meanwhile, a newly formed National Dialogue Committee of former PTI leaders told Arab News it had organized a session on Wednesday, January 7, in the federal capital that will bring together all major political parties, journalists, lawyers and representatives of civil society.
“Our goal is to bring political leaders together so that, while discussing their own issues, they can collectively seek solutions to the nation’s challenges,” Mahmood Baqi Moulvi, a Pakistani politician and member of the committee, said.
“The initiative also builds on previous efforts, including a letter to the prime minister requesting confidence-building measures to enable talks with PTI,” he added.
The National Dialogue Committee had urged the government in the letter to grant parole to jailed party figures in Lahore, including former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Dr. Yasmin Rashid, describing the move as vital for building trust ahead of negotiations.
It had also maintained such a step “would not only create an extremely positive, conducive, and trust-filled environment for the negotiations but would also lay a strong foundation for restoring mutual confidence among all stakeholders.”
While the government has also offered dialogue in the past, PTI leaders have conditioned participation on substantive measures, including what they describe as an end to politically motivated prosecutions and arrests, restoration of fundamental rights, respect for judicial independence and a credible roadmap toward free and fair elections.
“Reconciliation is possible, but it must be based on correcting injustices rather than managing optics,” Leghari said. “A genuine reset requires restoring respect for the Constitution, ending political victimization and allowing democratic processes to function without interference.”
Rana Sanaullah and Deputy Law Minister Barrister Aqeel Malik did not respond to requests for comment.
