History has been made in Pakistan this week, with parliament passing a bill which protects the fundamental rights of trans people.
According to reports from NPR, The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act will allow members of the trans community to choose their gender and have it reflected through official documentation, including passports and driver's licenses.
The bill also makes it illegal for trans people to be discriminated against in schools, at work, on public transport or while seeking and receiving medical attention.
Mehlab Jameel, a local activist who helped write the bill, told NPR she went into a state of shock upon hearing the news.
"I heard about this yesterday morning and I was in a state of shock because I never thought something like this could happen within my own life in Pakistan," she said.
She continued: "This kind of development is not only unprecedented in Pakistani history, but it's one of the most progressive laws in the whole world."
Calling this week's victory a "step in the right direction", Jameel admitted there was a long way to go.
Last year Pakistan introduced gender-neutral passports, allowing transgender and non-binary residents to select a third gender option.
At the time, activist group Trans Action Pakistan said it was “another milestone achieved” in the fight for transgender rights in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Pakistani activist Jameel took to social media to dedicate the win to those who fought before her.
“People who protested on roads, those who bore brutalities on their bodies, those who suffer in silence — this is a result of their pain & labour,” she wrote in a tweet.
