Pakistan torch bearer of transgender rights worldwide

News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is the torch bearer of transgender rights worldwide and has provided all fundamental rights, including self-perceived gender identity on national identity cards.

There are notable contributions of the transgender community for the country’s welfare.

Nayyab Ali is the only Pakistani transgender woman to raise Pakistan’s name on international platforms by receiving six international awards, including the Franco-German prize for human rights and the rule of Law, and 50+ national awards for her tremendous contributions to the transgender community.

She is a researcher, author, renowned human rights defender, and social scientist with ten years of professional experience working on gender equality, livelihoods, and economic empowerment.

She is currently working as Incharge Transgender Crime Unit Islamabad Police. She always made Pakistan proud. Recently, she was offered by India to receive the International Global Women Award for her work but she refused by stating that India should stop its atrocities against Kashmiris.

Aliis Pakistan’s first transgender to contest for national polls from NA142 Okara in 2018 to ensure visibility of the transgender community at all forums.

Her qualification is Master’s in International Relations from Preston University, Bs Hons in Botany from Punjab University Lahore, and Postgraduation in Women & Gender studies from HarvardX Virtual University.

She is a policy expert and drafted multiple legal frameworks for the federal and provincial governments of Pakistan including the Transgender (Protection of Rights) Act 2018, Transgender Welfare Endowment Bill KP, Transgender & Intersex Right Bill KP 2022, Punjab Transgender Protection Bill 2020, and Transgender Welfare Policy Punjab.

She was a member of the former Chief Justice of Pakistan’s special committee on the status of Transgender CNIC registration in Punjab and a member of the Transgender Taskforce by the Federal Ombudsman. She has served as the National Coordinator of All Pakistan Transgender Election Network (APTEN) till now.

She founded an organization known as Transgender Rights Consultants Pakistan (TRCP), which is currently running the Trans Inclusive City (TIC) campaign: a 2 year-long campaign aimed at mainstreaming the trans community through initiating collaboration between public and private entities, and commitments to organizational changes; which has resulted in the first trans police officer, and the first-ever trans expert in the Ministry of Human Rights.

Nayyab established Pakistan’s first transgender school in Okara with the collaboration of the Non-Formal & Basic Education Department Govt of Punjab where more than 100 transgenders acquired non-formal education and raised their level of literacy in 2017.

She is the nation’s first transgender entrepreneur to run a company, namely TRCP registered with the Securities Exchange Commission of Pakistan. She introduced the concept of “Pink Rupee” the money contributed by vulnerable trans communities to the GDP of Pakistan.

She conducted research with the collaboration of UNDP & MOHR Pakistan, titled “Socio-Economic Need Assessment of Transgender Community in the COVID Pandemic”. On the basis of this research, the Ministry of Human Rights designed a nationwide Covid relief package for distribution amongst the trans population of Pakistan.

She had built the capacity of more than 160 judges, over 500 police officers, 500 lawyers, 500 teachers, 1000 children and more than 200 Religious scholars on child rights, child protection and justice for children. She leads this intervention as a part of Group Development Pakistan and with the collaboration of different line departments.

She also developed IEC materials for the awareness on Transgender Rights Protection Act 2018 in different languages and raise awareness amongst more than 5,000stakeholders.

She has conducted nationwide training of key population on good practices to counter gender-based violence, including acid and burn violence in Pakistan.

She also drafted Standard Operating Procedures for ICT Police on how to interact with transgender during conflict and contact the law.

It’s not only one Nayyab in the country but many role models that the trans community has such as Natasha Waqas Ahmad who is working as Senior Executive Officer in NADRA. She has been working since 2011 and is now on a senior rank.

The transgender community also has its first-ever trans lawyer Nisha Rao and the first transgender Doctor, Dr. Sarah Gill.

The transgender community has already broken the glass ceiling of success and now the government needs to come one step forward.