UAE’s most-awarded nursery chain pioneers quality education and child development across 30 convenient locations in the UK and UAE
She and a handful of others are the first of Pakistan’s transgender “hijra” community — which includes transsexuals, transvestites and others — to register as candidates.
Dressed in a long, checked outfit with black lace sleeves, her red hair piled on top of her head, she resembles the hoopoe, the flamboyant and industrious bird crowned with a shock of red feathers that she chose as a campaign symbol.
Often ridiculed or attacked, hijras are treated as misfits in Pakistani society.
“Transgender people get our first threats from our own family,” Rana told Reuters during an interview in her tiny apartment in the crowded port city of Karachi. She is a candidate for the Sindh provincial assembly from one of the city’s constituencies. “I always tell the transgenders to endure the things that their family says to them,” she said. “It’s more difficult to tolerate nasty things said by the world.” The Supreme Court ruled in 2011 that hijras could get national identity cards as a “third sex,” neither man nor woman. Now that they have legal standing, at least four members of the community are standing for elections.
Many hijras in Pakistan and in neighbouring India are attacked, raped or forced to work as sex workers to support themselves. Others beg for alms at traffic lights or on the streets.
Rana, 45, wants to change some of those injustices. After years of working as a dancing girl, she became a social worker dedicated to protecting her community.
Rana’s lowest point came five years ago, when she and friends held a public collection to help a colleague with cancer. They stood all day in the heat, but she only got $1 from a small girl who came forward and asked what they were doing. After listening, she solemnly handed over a note.
UAE’s most-awarded nursery chain pioneers quality education and child development across 30 convenient locations in the UK and UAE
Unveiling the strategies driving the UAE's spa and wellness industry to new heights
Say goodbye to layover woes and hello to unforgettable adventures with Turkish Airlines' Stopover Istanbul and Touristanbul programmes
It will be important to watch if the central bank nudges the South Asian currency higher as a slight downward bias is likely to persist in the market, says expert
K. Padmarajan, a 65-year-old tyre repair shop owner, began fighting elections in 1988 from Tamil Nadu state
Certificate need to be presented at check-in for inspection prior to flying from Abu Dhabi, says airline
'I do not remember the last time I broke my fast with my family,' says the officer manning Al Mizher intersection
The emerging technology stands poised to transform logistics — providing swifter, more efficient, and eco-conscious delivery options in the years to come