Pakistani transsexuals welcome court decision on voting

Pakistani transsexuals, locally known as hijras, have welcomed a Supreme Court order to the federal government to register them as voters.

They have been campaigning for their rights for years but it was only last year that the Supreme Court ordered the government to officially recognise a separate gender for them.

And that decision opened the door for this week's ruling.

According to records submitted to the Supreme Court, there are about 80,000 transsexuals in Pakistan.