Pakistan has another side which barely ever gets any exposure. Ali Saleem, aka Begum Nawazish Ali, is just one example. Qurratulain Zaman talked to the man who describes himself as a bisexual woman, to get an insight into Pakistan's fringe.

28-year-old Ali Saleem is from the port city of Karachi in Pakistan's south. He is the host of the country's most famous controversial current affairs TV show of the moment -- ‘Begum Nawazish Ali’, meaning "Madame Nawazish Ali". He adopts the alter ego of a flirtatious widow and dons a silk sari for the show.

Pakistani elite

Once a week, the begum invites two personalities from the creme de la creme of Pakistani society -- President Musharraf has already appeared on the show, as have film stars and religious leaders. The show always causes a sensation. When asked about his life in a society where cross-dressing is generally frowned upon, Ali Saleem. He said that there were many misconceptions about Pakistani society.

"I don’t know why we always like to assume that Pakistanis are less tolerant and less understanding," he said. "I think Pakistan is an evolved nation because the kind of issues we have to confront on a daily basis makes us much more aware of things really. We are much more politically conscious than the ones who haven’t had a formal education because they are affected on an everyday basis."

Brings the house down

Ali said that whenever he had performed in public he has always brought the house down, with the audience even rolling over in hysterics. "Everybody understands and knows that I am an actor," he explained. "It’s a character I have created and the character has taken on her own existence, her own life. People refer to her as if she's a real person, which is a big achievement for me as an actor. I don’t want to sound boastful but…"

On her show, Begum questions prominent Islamic religious figures, intellectuals and politicians on issues such as Pakistan's support for the US-led war on terror, General Musharraf's dictatorship and discrimination against women. He is proud that he has managed to get people thinking about controversial issues.

"It arises curiosity and it arises all kind of feelings and thoughts and it provokes a debate, its generating a talk. And that was the whole point. This way I have been able to at least get people talking."

Bhutto, Thatcher and Diana

Asked about his inspirations he said it all went back to his childhood: He said he was nine when Benazir Bhutto became prime minister and he loved watching her press conferences on television.

He first earned his name by impersonating the former prime minister, and then added Margaret Thatcher, Princess Diana and the Pakistani singer Noor Jehan to his repertoire.

Begum Ali is a rarity in Pakistan because of his openness and the fact that he openly describes himself as bisexual but his breakthrough into the mainstream offers Pakistan's somewhat conservative society another worldview.