Riz Ahmed lauds Pakistan's first transgender news anchor Marvia Malik

Taking to social media, the 'Venom' star congratulated Malik

British-Pakistani actor and activist Riz Ahmed, in a recent Instagram post, lauded Pakistan's first ever transgender news anchor, Marvia Malik.

Taking to social media, the Venom star wrote, "Congratulations to Marvia Malik."

Noting Pakistan's progress in transgender rights, Ahmed further penned, "In some ways, Pakistan has been ahead of the curve in certain aspects of trans rights. In other ways, it has lagged behind. Hoping we can all learn from each other in paving the way to greater inclusion."

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Kohenoor News — a private television channel – went on-air last week with a transgender person on the screen as its news anchor.

Marvia’s incredible success story was celebrated by celebrities, journalists and activists from all over Pakistan who were quick to praise her on social media.



"When I was called for the job interview, I was quite nervous and anxious about how things would unfold. As soon as I was called in, I gave my best and managed to impress my directors, Bilal Ashraf and Junaid Mehmood," Malik said, in an interview with The Express Tribune. "They were quite impressed with my confidence, my talent and my ambitions in life, this helped me and I was hired on the spot."

Ahmed, on the other hand, was trying to get acquainted with his own roots earlier this year.

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The actor visited Pakistan after 13 years, labelling the reunion as 'meeting an ex.'

In a series of post during his visit to the country, Ahmed also highlighted the ordeals of the Pakistani transgender community.



“In recent times, Pakistan has recognised the ‘third gender’ on official government documents, cementing their place in the society. But despite this recognition, they are marginalised and often earn a living through dancing, sex work or a kind of spiritual begging,” he had written previously.

With a diverse fan following, Ahmed aimed to educate the world about the current situation of transgenders across the country and possibly other parts of the world as well.

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