The first transgender news anchor in Pakistan, Marvia Malik, was reportedly attacked outside her residence in Lahore on Thursday. According to reports, two unidentified gunmen fired at the 26-year-old news anchor while she was returning from a pharmacy. Malik narrowly escaped the shooting attack.
Marvia says she was receiving death threats from unknown people after her opinion on transgender bill#GeoNewshttps://t.co/5SVN1xYNv9
— Geo English (@geonews_english) February 24, 2023
Malik told police that she had been receiving threatening calls for some time for raising the voice for the transgender community in Pakistan and cited her activism as the reason behind the attack.
Malik, who had fled Lahore fearing for her safety, had returned to the city for a surgery when the attack occurred.
She stated that her advocacy for the transgender community was a “major factor” in the assassination attempt.
Malik made history in 2018 when she became the Islamic Republic’s first transgender news anchor. She was engaged by Pakistan-based Kohenoor News, but she admitted in multiple interviews that landing the feat was not simple.
Before becoming a news anchor, Malik created history by becoming the first transgender model at a prominent fashion show held annually by the Pakistan Fashion Design Council, according to reports.
“Like other trans people, I did not get any support from my family. On my own, I did some menial jobs and continued my studies. I had always wanted to be a news anchor, and my dream came true when I got selected,” she told American broadcaster Voice of America in a telephonic interview.
She hopes that her work will change people’s perceptions of the transgender community. “If given the chance, transgender people are equally capable of doing anything,” she told the news agency AP in an interview. “Our degrees are of no use…even if we seek jobs, we get rejected due to our identity, I want to change this mindset,” she said.
