ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has introduced a third gender category on passports on Friday after the interior ministry issued the first passport to a transgender person.
Albeit, no official announcement was made with regard to this latest development but an alliance of transgender communities from 25 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) – Trans Action Pakistan – on its social media account divulged the move.
Farzana Jan, President of the alliance, has become the first transgender person in KP who was issued a passport encompassing third gender category.
https://www.facebook.com/TransActionPak/posts/1610820705596206
The community alliance in its official social account said: “Another milestone achieved. After a long struggle we are able to make another change. Now the Government of Pakistan is issuing Passports to transgender Community as separate category….Thank you Govt of Pakistan, Ministry of Interior and Passport authorities for listening to us.”
Farzana had applied for an urgent passport. However, it took her more than six months to get the passport processed and include a separate column for people, who do not want to identify as male or female, to define themselves as ‘X’.
