Islamabad, March 26: The first ever transgender news anchor has taken on airwaves in Pakistan, a nation where the third gender is yet to get a separate identity. The Islamic nation recently got its first transgender news anchor - Maavia Malik. As per reports, Pakistan's local news channel- Kohenoor News went on-air on Saturday with Maavia as the news anchor.

After being a successful model, Maavia scripted history to become the first broadcast journalist in the Islamic nation. Malik has now become the epitome of willpower and determination, paving way for about 500K transgender to choose honorable professions. The news was first reported by Pakistan-based journalist Shiraz Hassan on Twitter, where it quickly went viral.

Hailing from Pakistan, a country of about 200 million people, Marvia said that she hopes to do something for the transgender community in Pakistan. "Our community should give equal rights to men, women and the third gender," she said in an interview to BBC Urdu.

As per reports, Kohenoor TV claims to be the first in the country to hire a transgender person as a news anchor, making it a historical moment and a moment of pride in Pakistan’s history. According to local reports, the channel hired Marvia Malik as a newscaster, and she first appeared on-air on March 23.

This news comes weeks after the Pakistan Senate approved a bill that empowers members of the transgender community to determine their own gender identity. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2017 will enable trans people to be recognized as they perceive themselves and register with government offices as transgenders.

Kohenoor News shared a picture of Marvia on Facebook which has received almost 5,000 'likes' in just two days. As per reports, Kohenoor TV's owner Junaid Ansari said that Marvia was selected on the basis of merit and not gender. While speaking to VOA News, Ansari said that the channel had asked aspiring news presenters to come for the auditions. “I got a call from one of my team members who said that one of the applicants was a transgender," he said. "I purely made the decision on the basis of treating all humans equally. The thought of challenging the social norms or breaking taboos did not even come to my mind," he added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 26, 2018 11:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).