A Pakistani Briton school teacher’s daughter has made history by becoming the first-ever Muslim Pakistan-origin female elected member of the London Assembly in what is being seen as a great moment of breaking the barriers, Geo tv reported.

Hina Bokhari’s election as London Assembly's member on the platform of Liberal Democrats is also very significant as her father Syed Naz Bokhari, originally from Lahore, was London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s teacher and Britain’s first Muslim headteacher.

Speaking to Geo tv, Hina Bokhari said her relatives from Pakistan have been calling to congratulate her and express their pride.

“My relatives from Islamabad to Lahore to Karachi have been calling me over my election win. I feel a great deal of pride in the fact that I am the first-ever Muslim and a woman of Pakistani heritage to reach the London Assembly," said Bokhari. "This is a great moment for Pakistani and ethnic minority women."

The London Assembly comprises 25 elected members and they audit the work and activities of the mayor. The London Assembly is also responsible for amending the annual budget for Greater London and rejecting or accepting projects in the city.

Hina Bokhari, 45, was the first Muslim woman elected as a Merton Council councilor in the 2018 local bodies elections. She has been working as a primary school teacher for the last 20 years. She took time off from her teaching job to focus on her new demanding role.

Hina Bokhari’s father taught at a school in Tooting where Sadiq Khan was a pupil. With around two dozen other London Assembly members, now Hina Bokhari will be holding Sadiq Khan accountable against the promises he made during the election campaign.

“London Mayor’s job is very complicated but Sadiq Khan needs to do more for London. My job is to hold him accountable, to remind him about the promises he made about housing and jobs. I will question him and I hope he keeps his promises.”

Hina Bokhari said it was her father’s wish for her to do public service and leave a legacy behind for future generations.

“My father was the first Muslim and Pakistani headteacher in Britain. I think he will be proud that his daughter has done it. He always taught me to give back to the community. He always said that it’s not what you have and what you do today but what you leave behind for the next generation. My dream is to fulfill my father’s dreams,” she said.

(SAM)