Nonetheless, some progress can be observed within the country. For example, in 2024 a Christian woman was promoted to Brigadier General within Pakistan’s army which a significant achievement is given the disparities that continue to impede progress of Pakistan’s minorities within the country.4 Further, the Government in its State Report to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination provides that it has taken various actions at governmental level to improve human rights within its jurisdiction. In Balochistan, by the end of 2020, 175 judges and 150 members of the prosecution had been trained on human rights standards including the UN Conventions on Human Rights. Similar trainings have been conducted in other provinces of Pakistan as well. Pakistan's Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act has played a pivotal role in enforcing the rights of transgender individuals, particularly their right to self-identification of gender. This is exemplified by the inclusion of a third gender column in national identity cards and travel documents, including passports. The government's commitment to the inclusion of transgender persons in the public sector is evident through the hiring of transgender individuals in various roles within the police force, the Supreme Court, and the Ministry of Human Rights. The Act remains valid, with no reported issues from NADRA or the Passport Office this year. Furthermore, political representation and involvement have increased, as seen with the Awami National Party appointing Dr. Mehrub Moiz Awan as head of their trans committee and the election of transgender individuals to the Sindh Karachi Municipal Corporation by the Pakistan Peoples Party and Jamaat-e-Islami. Additionally, many cities in Punjab, including Multan, Bahawalpur, Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Faisalabad, have appointed transgender individuals as Victim Support Officers, reflecting a broader acceptance and integration of transgender persons within various sectors of society. Despite the progress made at protecting minority rights, significant legislative and policy gaps remain. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination noted in its concluding observations that there was a lack of information on the application of the ICERD within the domestic legal landscape in the country. Moreover, the Committee noted that the country does not define racial discrimination against which actions may be judged and recommended the state to intensify its efforts to conduct a national consensus on a definition. Progress on defining racial discrimination within the context of Pakistan, however, has not been achieved and there is no singular definition that the state endorses. In 2022, Pakistan submitted its combined Report to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The State Report provides that while there is no single definition of racial discrimination within its domestic legal landscape, the concept is adequately 4 “Dr. Helen Mary Roberts becomes the first female brigadier of Pak Army from Christian Community,” available at: https://www.dawn.com/news/1837321 7