Lahore: Marvia Malik made headlines when she debuted last month on a private television channel in Pakistan, becoming the conservative country's first transgender news anchor.
Opinions are mixed about the slim 21-year-old who appears regularly on the Kohenoor News channel in Lahore, capital of Pakistan's eastern province of Punjab, but Malik says she has achieved her childhood dream.
"I thought that our transgender community was lagging behind in education and jobs, and they are not strong enough politically," she said. "So I wanted to do something for my community."
Many transgender individuals in Pakistan live in secluded communities and have no choice but to beg on the streets or sing and dance at private parties to earn a living. Some also turn to prostitution to make ends meet.
Malik says she was disowned by her family when she was 16, following years of being forced to dress and act like a boy.
She sought a different route for herself, so she trained and then found work as a makeup artist to fund her journalism degree at Punjab University.
Through her connections in the beauty industry, she landed a modeling job and became the talk of the town.
The story of her life, and her demeanour, impressed the selection panel at Kohenoor News, which hired her as a trainee anchor.
Kohenoor Chief Executive Junaid Mehmood Ansari says he had apprehensions about Malik going on air, but his worries were put to rest by social media praise for his efforts to promote transgender people after her first appearance, on March 23.
Recent legislation has made clear that transgender individuals in Pakistan are guaranteed all the citizens' rights enshrined in its constitution, with national identity cards providing for a category of "third gender".
But not all Pakistanis are so accepting.
"This new transgender thing is the influence of Western culture, and this is totally wrong," said Ayaz Khan, a resident of the southern commercial hub of Karachi.
Trans Action Pakistan, a campaign group, estimates there are at least 500,000 transgender people among Pakistan's population of 208 million.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Opinions are mixed about the slim 21-year-old who appears regularly on the Kohenoor News channel in Lahore, capital of Pakistan's eastern province of Punjab, but Malik says she has achieved her childhood dream.
"I thought that our transgender community was lagging behind in education and jobs, and they are not strong enough politically," she said. "So I wanted to do something for my community."
Malik says she was disowned by her family when she was 16, following years of being forced to dress and act like a boy.
Advertisement
Through her connections in the beauty industry, she landed a modeling job and became the talk of the town.
Marvia Malik checks herself in the mirror before a broadcast at Kohenoor News channel in Lahore (Reuters)
Advertisement
Recent legislation has made clear that transgender individuals in Pakistan are guaranteed all the citizens' rights enshrined in its constitution, with national identity cards providing for a category of "third gender".
Advertisement
"This new transgender thing is the influence of Western culture, and this is totally wrong," said Ayaz Khan, a resident of the southern commercial hub of Karachi.
Advertisement
© Thomson Reuters 2018
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
COMMENTS
Advertisement
"Playing Religion Card": Pakistan Star Slams Mohammad Rizwan Over 'Brand Ambassador Of Islam' Remark BSF Troops Arrest Pakistani National In Punjab's Ferozepur Ex Senator Among 5 Killed In Blast Near Afghan Border In Pakistan "Got Rs 98 Lakhs, But...": Agniveer's Family Amid Debate Over Compensation Kirodi Lal Meena Quits As Rajasthan Minister, Fulfills "If BJP Loses" Promise "If Baba Has Powers...": Victims Of Hathras Tragedy Mourn, Pick Up Pieces Hemant Soren To Take Oath As Jharkhand Chief Minister Today 'Satsang' Organiser Among 6 Arrested After 121 Die In Hathras Stampede In Tit-For-Tat Move, Congress Flags PM Modi's Speech In Parliament Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.