Kirshna Kumar Kolhi has created history after being elected as the first Hindu Dalit Woman Senator from Pakistan’s Sindh province.

“She has become the first ever Hindu Dalit woman senator in a Muslim majority country,” said Pakistan People’s Party in a statement.

Kirshna Kumar Kolhi, 39, is a native of a remote village in Nagarparkar district of Thar, who contested the Senator election on a ticket from the Bilawal Bhutto led party. She was elected from a minority seat from Sindh and was awarded a ticket by the PPP. With her election as a Senate, the Islamic nation has had a major breakthrough in women and minority rights in the country.

Kolhi had her share of struggle to reach this feat. Born to a poor peasant, she was held captive for three years in a private jail of a landlord of Kunri in Umerkot district. She was studying in grade 3 then. To supplement troubles for her, she was married when she was 16, however, defying all the adverse circumstances, she completed her studies and bagged a masters in Sociology from Sindh University in 2013.

Kolhi associated with the PPP as a social activist along with her brother. Since then she has worked for the rights of the marginalized communities in Thar and nearby areas.