PESHAWAR: Farzana Jan’s became the first ever person who was issued a passport on Saturday which included an option other than male or female in its gender column.
According to details, Farzana Jan is a transgender who had applied for an urgent passport. However, it had taken her six months to get the document processed and have included a separate column for the gender X option.
Speaking to a local daily, Farzana said that she was first told by the NADRA authorities that including a separate column could not happen since the entire database would have to be changed.
“But I hadn’t abandoned the task of adding a separate column, and finally they (Nadra authorities) have added the column for transgender,” she said.
“I am so happy to be recognised by the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports that I am a human and has a gender other than male and female,” she added.
Farzana is the co-founder and president of TransAction Alliance, a non-profit organisation which works for the rights of the transgender community in the country.
In 2011, the Supreme Court of Pakistan had ruled in favour of allotting a separate column for transgenders in NICs and passports.