Arfa Siddiq Kakar (, ; born 28 January 1987), also spelled Arifa Siddique, is a Pakistani politician and

human rights activist A human rights defender or human rights activist is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing campai ...

from the town of

Muslim Bagh Muslim Bagh (Pashto/), is a town in Killa Saifullah District, Balochistan, Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most ...

in northern

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...

, Pakistan. She is a supporter of the

Pashtun Tahafuz Movement The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM; , ''Paṣtūn Zhghōrənē Ghōrźang''; , ''Pashtūn Tahaffuz Tehreek'' ) is a social movement for Pashtuns, Pashtun human rights based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan. It was found ...

(PTM). From 2013 to 2018, she was a member of the

Provincial Assembly of Balochistan The Provincial Assembly of Balochistan is a unicameral legislature of elected representatives of the Pakistani province of Balochistan, Pakistan, Balochistan, and is located in Quetta, the provincial capital. It was established under Article 106 o ...

as a candidate from the

Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party The Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (; ), abbreviated as PMAP or PKMAP, is a political party in Pakistan's Balochistan province. It was founded by Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who was elected as the chairman, and Sher Ali Bacha, who served as the General ...

(PkMAP). She hails from the

Kakar The Kakar (Pashto: کاکړ) is a Gharghashti Pashtun tribe, based in Afghanistan, parts of Iran, and northern Balochistan in Pakistan. Origins of the tribe Kakars are descendants of Dani (or Daani) who was the son of Gharghasht. Gharghasht wa ...

tribe of

Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghan (ethnon ...

Early life and education

Siddiq was born on 28 January 1987 in

in the

Killa Saifullah District Kila Saifullah District, Qilla Saifullah, or Saifullah Killa (Urdu and , ) is a district in northwestern Balochistan province, Pakistan. It was established as a district in 1988, comprising two former administrative units of Zhob District: the ...

, Pakistan. She has done

Bachelor of Science in Information Technology A Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (abbreviated BSIT or B.Sc. IT) is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in information technology. The degree is normally required in order to work in the information technolog ...

and

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

Political career

Siddiq was elected to the

as a candidate of PkMAP on a reserved seat for women in the

2013 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on Saturday 11 May 2013 to elect the members of the List of members of the 14th National Assembly of Pakistan, 14th National Assembly of Pakistan, National Assembly and the four Subdivisions of Pakistan, Pr ...

Detention in Loralai

On 9 February 2020, just before PTM's public gathering in

Loralai Loralai (, ), also known as Bori (), is a Pakistani city that serves both as the division headquarter of Loralai Division and the district headquarter of Loralai District. It is located in the northeastern part of Balochistan province of Paki ...

to mark the first death anniversary of

Arman Loni Mohammad Ibrahim Arman Loni (), commonly known as Arman Loni (or Arman Luni), was a Pakistani teacher of Pashto literature, poet, and one of the founding leaders of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM). Arman died on 2 February 2019 after a clash ...

, security forces arrested Arfa Siddiq,

Wranga Loni Wranga Loni (, ; also spelled Wrranga Lunri or Wrranga Luni) is a Pakistani human rights activist and writer from Sanjawi in northern Balochistan, Pakistan. She is a member of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), and of the Waak Movement, which a ...

Sanna Ejaz Sanna Ejaz () or Sana Ijaz, is a Pakistani journalist and human rights activist from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She is a leading member of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), as well as a founding member of the Waak Movement, which aims to bring polit ...

, and other female PTM activists as they headed to the gathering site. The security forces released them, however, when political activists gathered outside the police station to protest for them.

References

Living people 1987 births 21st-century Pakistani women politicians Balochistan MPAs 2013–2018 Kakar people Pashtun women politicians Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party politicians Pashtun Tahafuz Movement politicians People from Killa Saifullah District Pakistani prisoners and detainees Women members of the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan {{Balochistan-MPA-stub