Pakistan’s first transgender presenter survived a gunshot after she was attacked outside her home in Lahore on Thursday. Marvia Malik, 26, narrowly escaped attempted murder while returning from a pharmacy when two assailants opened fire on her, Dawn said. Malik told police he had been receiving threatening phone calls for speaking on behalf of Pakistan’s transgender community and cited his “activism” as the reason for the attack.

Malik, who had left Lahore fearing for his safety, had returned to the city for surgery for a few days when the accident happened, the Dawn report added. In 2018, Malik made history by becoming the first transgender person to be a news anchor in the Islamic Republic.She was employed by Kohenoor News in Pakistan but revealed in several interviews that it wasn’t an easy road to success

Like other transgender people, I have not received any support from my family. I did various part-time jobs on my own and continued my studies. I always wanted to be a news anchor and my dream came true when I got elected,” he told US broadcaster Voice of America in a phone interview.

Through his work, he hopes to change perceptions of the transgender community.”Given the opportunity, transgender people are equally able to do anything,” she told the AP in a previous interview. “Our degrees are useless … even when we’re looking for a job, we’re rejected because of our identity, I want to change that mindset,” he said.