You are about to listen to a BBC podcast and I'd like to tell you a bit about what goes into making one.

I'm Sadata Sese, an assistant commissioner of podcasts for BBC Sounds.

I pull a lot of levers to support a diverse range of podcasts on all sorts of subjects,

relationships, identity, comedy, even one that mixes poetry, music and inner city life. So one day I'll be

helping host develop their ideas, the next fact-checking, a feature, and the next looking at

how a podcast connects with its audience. And maybe that's you. So if you like this podcast,

check out some others on BBC Sounds.

Hi, Namulanta Combo here, and I'm excited to tell you that my award-winning podcast,

Dear Daughter, is back for his second season.

And it's available now.

Find out more at the end of this podcast.

When Alina Khan was a child growing up in Lahore, sometimes the neighbours would have uncomfortable questions, sometimes they'd have cruel questions.

When my father would go out of the house, he would have to hear all sorts of things, like,

is your son mentally okay? Or does he have a physical ailment? Why does he behave like this?

Will you get him married?

Sure. Perhaps some of these questions were in search of answers, but others may have been

intended to highlight Alina's difference. In the city of Lahore in Pakistan's Punjab province,

Alina undoubtedly stood out. It's not just because Alina is a Huajasera or a third

gender person. That's not so rare in this part of the world. But it's because she was doing her

best at the time to fit into the conventions of her parental home.

So these neighbours' questions, these little jibes about what's expected from a quote-unquote

respectable Pakistani household would eventually push Alina onto the streets of Lahore.

...