KARACHI: Pakistan’s first lawmaker from the Sheedi minority is on a mission to fight centuries-old discrimination against her community of African descent, saying it has been held back by entrenched racism. Many of Pakistan’s Sheedi people – whose numbers are unclear due to widely differing estimates – are descendants of East Africans who were brought to South Asia as slaves or soldiers by Arab traders. “Education is our way out of poverty,” she said, noting the prejudice that many young Sheedis face at school. The mother-of-three said Sheedi women often face a double discrimination due to South Asian beauty ideals that make it harder for them to find a spouse. Now a well-known voice for her community, Qambrani said for many years her comfortable middle-class upbringing had shielded her from deep-seated prejudice against Sheedi people.

Source: Pakistan Today June 24, 2020 15:00 UTC