Five transgender persons hurt in Mansehra gun attack

MANSEHRA: The five transgender persons suffered critical injuries when a man fired at them in the Upper Channia area here Sunday night.

"The condition of four of them is highly critical as they sustained multiple bullet injuries in various body parts and were rushed to the Ayub Medical Complex Hospital at Abbottabad," stated Nadra Khan, the president of transgender persons in Hazara division, while speaking to journalists on Monday.

The accused Sibtain Khan fired at the transgender persons, leaving five of them seriously injured, and managed to flee. The locals rushed them to the King Abdullah Teaching hospital wherefrom four of them - Sumiro, Tulsi, Muna and Kaif - were referred to Ayub medical complex hospital Abbottabad in critical condition.

The doctors carried operated upon all seriously injured transgender persons and according to them, their condition was still critical. Nadra Khan said that the accused Sibtain Khan was having a friendship with one of the injured transgender persons but when another man came to meet her, he was infuriated and allegedly opened fire indiscriminately.

Members of Aawaz District Forum, a body working for the rights of transgender persons, religious minorities, women and people with disabilities, Saibaan Development Organisation, went to the hospital and remained present there during the emergency treatment of the injured transgender persons.

"This forum condemns the incident as two transgender persons were killed in the area in recent months and this gruesome incident is a reminder that they are still the most vulnerable and law and order is worsening rapidly in the area," Salma Bibi, the Aawaz forum's member, told reporters.

She said that forums' members of the transgender community had also moved applications with relevant departments, seeking the installation of security cameras outside the residences of transpersons but delay led to another brutal incident.

The police said one accused had been arrested and the investigation was underway in the case.