ZUBAIR QURESHI
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government has announced the prestigious civil award Sitara-i-Imtiaz for the prominent transgender rights activist Nayyab Ali in recognition of her longstanding services for human rights, gender equality and the rights of marginalised communities.
She will receive the national honour from President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr on March 23, 2027, during the Pakistan Day investiture ceremony.
The decision marks a significant moment for Pakistan’s transgender community as Nayyab is set to become the first known transgender Pakistani to receive the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, one of the country’s highest civilian honours. The announcement was welcomed by human rights advocates, civil society activists and minority representatives, who described it as a positive step towards greater recognition and inclusion of historically marginalised communities.
Nayyab Ali has for more than a decade been a vocal advocate for the rights and dignity of transgender persons, minorities and other disadvantaged sections of society. Her work has extended beyond advocacy to policy, legislation, political participation and capacity-building of institutions dealing with vulnerable communities.
She was among the first transgender persons to contest Pakistan’s general elections in 2018 and has served as national coordinator of the All Pakistan Transgender Election Network. She also played a significant role in efforts surrounding the formulation of Pakistan’s Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018. International sources also document her work with UN agencies and Pakistani government institutions on inclusive policies.
Nayyab Ali is also the founder of a school for transgender persons in Okara and has been associated with initiatives providing literacy, vocational training, life skills and other opportunities to members of the transgender community.
Her contributions have previously earned her several international recognitions. In 2020, Germany and France jointly honoured her with the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law for her efforts to advance the rights and social inclusion of transgender people in Pakistan. She has also received the GALAS International Activist Award and the Transgender HERO Asia Award.
More recently, Nayyab represented Pakistan at the WorldPride Human Rights Conference 2026 in Amsterdam, where she shared the opening platform with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema and other prominent international human rights figures. The three-day conference opened on August 5 with Nayyab among the featured speakers addressing the struggle for LGBTQIA+ rights and human rights.
Welcoming the government’s decision, human rights and civil society circles said the honour sent an important message that national recognition could transcend gender identity and acknowledge contributions made for the betterment of society.
Nayyab Ali, expressing gratitude for the honour, said the recognition was not merely a personal achievement but a milestone for the entire transgender community and other marginalised groups.
She said she accepted the award with “deep humility and a profound sense of responsibility,” adding that the honour would strengthen her resolve to continue working for equality, dignity, inclusion and equal citizenship.
“This honour belongs not only to me but to every transgender person who has struggled to be seen, heard and treated with dignity. It is a recognition of our collective journey from exclusion towards inclusion,” she said.
Nayyab said the award would inspire her to work even harder for a Pakistan in which no citizen was discriminated against because of gender identity, social status or any other circumstance.
The announcement is expected to be seen as an important development in the country’s evolving discourse on minority rights and social inclusion, with civil society representatives describing it as a recognition of the contribution of transgender Pakistanis to the country’s social and human rights landscape.
