ISLAMABAD: Following passage of transgenders’ rights’ bill from theParliament, the transgender persons will now be able to exercise theirrights without any fear of marginalization.

In this connection, at least 13 transgender persons will contest generalelections this year. Of the 13 contestants, two will run for the NationalAssembly while the rest will contest for provincial assembly seats. Theannouncement was made at a national consultation organised by All PakistanTransgender Election Network (APTEN) in collaboration with the ElectionCommission of Pakistan (ECP).

The names of the aspiring lawmakers were also shared during the meeting.They include Arzu Khan (PK-33), Lubna (PP-26), Komal (PP-38), Madam Bhutto(PP-189), Nayab (NA-142), Ashee (Candidate from Punjab) , Farzana Riaz(NA-33) and others.

The objective of consultation was to bring all the candidates and otherstakeholders at discussion table where they could share their concerns andway forward. The major concern of the candidates was regarding theiridentity documents such as CNIC among others. They shared a problem relatedto their CNICs in which they are mentioned as male in gender section but byappearance they look like women.

The national consultation was attended by all the potential candidates andrepresentatives from their assigned constituencies where they highlightedtheir demands and importance of political inclusion and empowerment oftransgender persons in Pakistan.