Court moved for transgenders’ rights

LAHORE

A transgender has approached the Lahore High Court for enforcement of his community’s fundamental rights, including enrolment in upcoming census and national identity cards with mentioning the gender.

Waqar Ali, the transgender, filed a writ petition through Advocate Sheraz Zaka pleading that the transgender community has been marginalised as a recent event witnessed in Sialkot where a transgender was maltreated.

The petitioner stated that being transgender they were not respected by society and even their parents did not own them due to social pressure and stigma. He said the transgender community should be allowed to mention their gender in national identity cards and they must be registered in census. The petitioner asked the court to direct the federal government to legislate on welfare of transgender community keeping in consideration its international obligations under international conventions on civil and political rights ratified in 2010. He sought protection for the transgender community in performance of religious obligations like Haj and Umrah.