Shahzad Rasheed
Condemning the murder of a transgender person by unknown attackers in district Karak, the transgender community in Peshawar organized a protest demonstration on Monday and demanded protection and rights for the transgender in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa outside Peshawar Press Club.
The protesters chanted slogans loudly, demanding of the government to ensure protection of their community members across the country, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
One transgender was killed and two others were injured in a firing incident in Karak. The sources revealed, the transgender persons were coming back from a music function in Jatta Ismailkhel area, when unknown armed men opened fire on their vehicle. The deceased has been identified as Jahangir, who was from Mansehra. The injured have been identified as Mushtaq from Peshawar and Arshad from Swabi.
The General Secretary and a transgender community leader in Peshawar, Arzoo said that there was a frightening rise in violence and hate crimes against transgender people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “The brutal killing of transgender persons in the province has become a routine matter now. Almost every now and then, we get to hear such sad news,” she told this scribe in an interview”.
Taimor Kamal, a representative of Trans Action, told the scribe that 63 transgender persons had been killed across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since 2015. However, none of the murderers was imprisoned so far. “Protection of a transgender person in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has become challenging and the government and police failed to provide them security” he deplored”. He further added there was no legislation for the transgender community in the province and the law was vague with regard to lodging of an F.I.R against the assailants and their medical treatment in the hospitals.