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.