Written by: Eeman Amjad Posted on: April 28, 2015 |
(l-r) Almas Bobby, Farzana Bari, Aasim Sajjad Akhtar, Hina Jilani and Laxmi Tripathi
“What are we, male or female? We are human” – Almas Bobby
This year’s Islamabad Literature Festival brought to the fore an issue that has in the past been precluded from the human rights discourse. The session was moderated by Farzana Bari, who initiated the discussion regarding the mainstreaming of transgender rights. Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, a prominent transgender rights activist from Mumbai, articulated her appreciation for her family who had supported her: “I am a hijra, yet I was accepted by my family”. Although born to an orthodox Brahman family in India, she conveyed that “they never stopped me from expressing myself”. She reminded the audience that prior to the arrival of the British, the transgender community had been given more freedom and respect within the subcontinent. However, during British colonial rule, the transgender community had become marginalized and segregated from the rest of the society.
Hina Jilani, a human rights activist who had worked with the transgender community to attain the right of a third gender, felt that the state needed to do more to protect the third gender community. Aasim Sajjad Akhtar, professor at Quaid-e-Azam University, voiced that we still lived in a patriarchal society, and that both transgender and women transgender “are still on the periphery, and we reinforce the patriarchal superiority of men advertently and inadvertently.” He stressed that men need to take responsibility and begin reform and revolution, not only in the streets, but also at home. He stated that the state was usually expected to protect reason and rationality; however, it was often those belonging to the more educated and elite class that continued this cycle of oppression.
Almas Bobby, the president of the Shemale Foundation in Pakistan, unlike Laxmi, had grown up without any family protection or parental support. She related that for years, their community has been denied the right of inheritance, healthcare or education, and as a result is unemployable, which has led to their current destitute state. She asked the audience that if God had created all His creations equally, then, “why were we excluded?”
With only a few minutes left for the session to conclude, Bubbly Malik iterated that often people ask about what the transgender community gained after being granted third gender status. “What we gained by officially being recognized as Khwaja Sara was an identity that we never before had the privilege of.”
People often become fixated on whether to accept the transgender community as male or female. However, as Almas Bobby emphasized, they are simply human beings, who merely ask to be treated as such.
As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.
Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.
Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.
YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.
Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.
Nong Rong
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
January 2021
Video message by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed on Black Day of Indian Occupation of Kashmir
Video message by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed on Black Day of Indian Occupation of Kashmir, 27 October 1947, when Indian military troops forcibly occupied Kashmir illegally, claiming a fraudulent ‘Instrument of Accession’ which never existed as documented by eminent British historian Alastair Lamb! Kashmir & Palestine are examples of illegal occupation & continued Resistance to Repression! There are so many commonalities in Kashmir & Palestine: both under brutal military occupation of foreign powers, both are facing an indigenous, popular, spontaneous & widespread Resistance & Uprising, both are in violation of UN Resolutions which haven’t been implemented, both are witnessing an attempted change in the demographic balance, both are facing the use of rape as a weapon of war, both are testimony to double-standards & hypocrisy of Western powers on human rights & fundamental rights, and both conflicts have an element of racism and Islamophobia, while enduring peace, security and stability will remain elusive in both regions, South Asia & Middle East, until these issues are resolved in accordance with popular aspirations.
