Pakistan's transgender model Rimal Ali joins PTI days after alleged torture incident

LAHORE: Pakistan's famed transgender model and actor, Rimal Ali, has joined the ruling PTI, a local media outlet reported on Friday, days after she was allegedly subjected to torture and her head and eyebrows shaved by unidentified assailants.

According to the Express Tribune, Ali joined politics in "vengeance", saying it was the experience of her alleged kidnapping and assault that made her do so. In a letter shared by the publication, the president of the PTI Insaf Welfare Wing's Central chapter, Habib Malik Orakzai, confirmed appointing her as "Coordinator for Gender Discrimination".

The trans model was expected to engage in "hard work for welfare of the people", Orakzai wrote in the letter.

Ali, while speaking to the publication, said she "will continue [her] showbiz career" and that her fans would soon see her in the "drama industry and in more films".

"I was appreciated by the public when I started my career and luckily, have got opportunities to work with legendary actors and actresses, including Mahira Khan. Showbiz is my passion and I will not leave it.

"In these uncertain days, the situation in the industry is a bit disturbed due to COVID-19. But like many others, I am also struggling through this difficult time," she told the Tribune.

Ali added that it was a matter of "pride for me to be a part of PTI" and that she would now raise her voice for the transgender community at every forum.

Moreover, Ali also reportedly joined the United Nations Human Rights, where, too, she would work on gender-related issues.