ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s first transgender TV anchor Marvia Malik has survived an assassination attempt on Thursday night in an upscale society of the provincial capital Lahore.
Police in Lahore Cantonment lodged a case on the complaint of Malik who claimed to be under attack while returning home from a pharmacy. She told investigators that two unidentified attackers opened indiscriminate fire and managed to escape from the area.
Malik remained unhurt in the attempt on her life. She mentioned receiving threatening calls and texts from unknown numbers for being vocal for the transgender community, which faced people’s wrath in the South Asian nation.
The victim reportedly moved after an assassination attempt from Lahore to Islamabad and other cities. She returned provincial capital for a medical procedure.
The attack on the country’s first transgender TV anchor sparked concern and outrage on social media as several platforms were buzzing about the issue. Malik, a former model, made it to international media when she was hired as a TV anchor by a private broadcaster.
Pakistan’s senate in previous years passed several bills to protect the rights of the transgender community amid escalation in violence against the transgender community.
