As the world recently watched one of Pakistan’s most recognized faces, Imran Khan, taking oath as the nation’s 22^nd prime minister, it also saw a fully shrouded lady standing next to him holding a rosary in her hand. That was Bushra Khan, Imran Khan’s wife, who is now representing Pakistani women as their first lady.

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Irha Parishei is a transgender woman who is currently pursuing an engineering degree at NUST University. She has taken it upon herself to challenge the many ugly stereotypes about the transgender community. She works with Pakistan’s National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) to raise awareness and has met various politicians. She shared some of her experiences and the challenges she faces in an interview with DW.

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The Elections Act 2017 passed by Pakistani parliament in 2017 encouraged transgender people to vote and also to contest in elections. Five transgender candidates took up the challenge, running successful, albeit losing, political campaigns.

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On March 14th of this year, a 23-year-old woman, whom the police identified as Sunita, was severely beaten for refusing a marriage proposal in Kanchanpur, Nepal. She had her eyes gouged out and hot ghee poured over her body. The suspect Rakesh Chand, who had offered his hand in marriage, then fled. He had been harassing her for months and had already attacked her in the past.

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Winnie Mandela was a woman who was fearless, defiant, and strong-willed, a woman who refused to be silenced. At times, she was subjected to hellish torture. Later, she often found herself in the midst of political controversy and scandals. A negative image of this South African heroine emerged in the world.

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Marvia Malik is Pakistan’s first transgender news presenter. In a DW interview, Malik says she had to work hard to break taboos and finally be accepted by a society that discriminates against transgender people.

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