Gulalai to award tickets to four transgenders

ISLAMABAD: A faction of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) created by Ayesha Gulalai has BECOME THE irst political party of Pakistan to award tickets to four transgender persons for the July 25 general elections.

G ula lai announced that four trans gender persons would contest the upcoming polls from her party’s platform under its election symbol. The four candidates are Madam Rani, Lubna Lal, Nayab Ali and Nadeem Kashish.

According to details Kashish will contest the elections from NA-52 against Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry of the Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz (PML-N) in Islamabad; Ali will contest from NA-142 against Riazul Haq Juj, Rao Hassan Sikandar of the PTI and Sajjadul Hassan of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP); Lal from PP-26 in Jhelum; and Rani from PK-40 in Haripur.

Kashish said being a transgender person, it is almost impossible to think of contesting elections but many of us are making efforts to take up this challenge.

Kashish, on the behalf of transgender community, appreciated Gulalai for taking initiative and believes that more political parties will follow this path.

“Many of the transgender persons who want to contest polls as independent candidate don’t even have enough money to pay registration fees of the Election Commission of Pakistan,” said the NA-52 candidate.

Lal, who also contested in the 2013 polls from Jhelum, said, “I tried my best to win from my constituency in 2013 but failed... mainly because of lack of moral AND inancial support.”