Pakistan's first transgender news anchor has narrow escape after attack by gunmen in Lahore

 She had been returning from a pharmacy in Lahore when she was shot at outside her home. Malik is a prominent activist and known for being the country's first transgender news anchor.

Pakistan Army troops patrol along the fence on the Pakistan Afghanistan border at Big Ben hilltop post in Khyber district of Pakistan

Pakistani news anchor Marvia Malik was attacked by unidentified gunmen In Lahore on Sunday. She had been returning from a pharmacy in Lahore when she was shot at outside her home. Malik is a prominent activist and known for being the country's first transgender news anchor.

Malik had made history in 2018 - becoming the first transgender person in Pakistan to become a news anchor. Her debut appearance was on Kohenoor TV mere days after she became the country's first transgender model at a prominent fashion show. While she received an ‘overwhelmingly’ positive response from people, there were also naysayers.

According to reports, the 26-year-old had been receiving threat calls for quite some time. She had relocated to Islamabad and Multan for fear of her life some time earlier. Media outlet Dawn reported that she had just returned to Lahore for a surgery.

Reports quoted Malik as asserting that her activism was a "major factor" behind the assassination attempt.

In related news from Pakistan, at least four people were killed and 14 others injured by a blast in Balochistan province on Sunday morning. The incident took place a day after two policemen were killed and another was injured in Balochistan's Khuzdar district when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off while police personnel were patrolling the area.

Barkhan Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Khoso told the Dawn newspaper that the blast occurred in the Rakhni market area on Sunday morning when an IED planted on a motorcycle exploded. The injured people have been admitted to the hospital and the area cordoned off for further investigations.