ISLAMABAD: Pakistan private TV channel Kohenoor News (KN) has hired a transgender person as news anchor.
Maavia Malik is thought to be the first transgender person in the country to have chosen this profession.
Her appearance as news anchor hit social media and her video went viral.
KN television is not among the big private TV channels; to introduce Malik in this job is apparently a move to attract viewers.
She has also taken part in modeling as a transgender woman.
Last year the transgender community was registered with a separate identity for the first time in Pakistan’s population census.
According to the preliminary census data there are 10,418 transgender people in Pakistan. But some advocacy groups and transgender activists claim that the actual figure is half a million or more.
Since being legally recognized in 2009, transgender people have the right to possess identity cards and to vote. In June 2017, for the first time, Pakistani authorities granted third-gender passports.
Pakistani private TV channel gets its first transgender news anchor
Pakistani private TV channel gets its first transgender news anchor
