Transgenders clash over ‘election’

PESHAWAR: A group of transgenders clashed here on Thursday after an Afghan transgender tried to forcibly get herself elected as Goru for the Mardan district.

“I was attacked by Naina, a transgender belonging to Afghanistan, when I tried to convince her not to get herself elected as Goru for the Mardan district,” Farzana, president of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Transgenders Association, told The News.

She said that after the attack, she went to Hashtnagri Police Station to lodge a complaint, but the acting SHO Sher Bahadar asked her to reconcile with the Afghan transgender.

“We don’t want an Afghan national as Goru. The Afghan national has no right to get elected as Goru in Pakistan,” Farzana said.

She said that there is already a Goru in Mardan and the Afghan national wanted to be elected forcibly as Mardan Goru, which is not acceptable to the transgender community.

Farzana said that Naina had gathered some 15 transgenders from Punjab province and wanted to be elected as Goru through an unlawful way.

She claimed that she had submitted a written application to police to stop the Afghan transgender from the unlawful activity, but no action was taken.

After the clash, she said the SHO compelled them to enter into a patch-up with Naina.