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
Pakistan says it awaits US response before deciding on Gaza stabilization force
- US said last month potential contributors to the force have sought clarity on its mandate and funding
- Pakistan’s foreign office cites robust defense ties with Saudi Arabia, denies knowledge of JF-17 deal
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is waiting to receive answers from the United States before making a decision on contributing troops to the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza, said Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi on Thursday.
Last month, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan was willing to contribute to the international peacekeeping force in Gaza, though it would not deploy troops to disarm or de-weaponize Hamas.
According to international media outlets, Washington views Pakistan as a potentially significant contributor to the force given its battle-hardened military.
However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio conceded last month that countries contributing troops want to know what the ISF’s specific mandate would be and how it would be funded, noting that Pakistan was among the countries who had shown interest.
“As regard to the International Stabilization Force [in Gaza], as I said, in a number of my replies, that, and in fact, what the deputy prime minister also said here, that that it depends on the mandate, and in regards to the balance of that force,” Andrabi said.
Referring to Rubio’s statement on countries asking questions on ISF, the spokesman said “we still wait for answers with respect to those questions.”
The spokesperson also highlighted Dar’s telephone conversations with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan twice this week.
“The deputy prime minister welcomed the Saudi foreign ministry’s statement regarding Yemen and appreciated the efforts of all sides to resolve the regional situation amicably,” he continued.
To a question regarding a Reuters report that claimed Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were in talks to convert about $2 billion of Saudi loans into a JF-17 fighter jet deal, Andrabi said both countries have “robust defense cooperation,” though he added he was unaware of the particular deal.
“I am not aware of any particular deal, regarding any platform or any systems and its financial adjustment. But this is a development that we would confirm upon materialization,” Andrabi said.
To another question about the possibility of Pakistan sending fresh troops to Saudi Arabia to join a Saudi military operation in Yemen, the spokesman said: “I have no information on this. We have, as I said, robust defense cooperation, many of these projects remain in the pipeline, but as regards the number of troops or an added number of troops, I do not have any information.”
