Govt efforts for transgender community rights supported

PESHAWAR: A civil society organisations alliance, TransAction Pakistan, on Tuesday, supported the efforts of the Social Welfare Department and Women Parliamentary Caucus for protection of the transgender persons’ rights including endowment fund.

Speaking at a press conference, the activists and members from the community and Provincial Alliance condemned as baseless the allegations levelled by a transgender person Aarzoo against the TransAction, KP government and members of the provincial assembly.

The speakers expressed concern over the defamatory statements by one of the community members against the volunteer alliance, which had been making efforts for the empowerment of the transgender community.

Farzana Jan, President TransAction Alliance and member Chief Minister’s Special Committee on the Rights of Transgender Persons, said “TransAction is an independent and volunteer alliance of the community, which is duly registered with the KP Industries Department in the past, and now we are in the process to getting registered with Social Welfare Department.”

She said: “Being an independent alliance, we are free to work with any government department or organization which can support and strengthen legal, policy, structural or institutional reforms for the trans-inclusive and friendly society. We demand the government to order a probe into the allegations levelled by Aarzoo.

Another transgender persons rights activist and legal advisor to TransAction Pakistan, Nayyab Ali, said “TransAction Pakistan had constituted a new executive board and Aarzoo was not even a member of the board. Everybody can be an activist for the community but nobody can claim to be the focal person for transgender rights at the provincial or federal level”, she added.