Transgender community members demand protection

PESHAWAR: The transgender community association on Monday asked the government to provide them justice by arresting the people responsible for the killings and torturing of its members.

Speaking at a news conference, the president of the association Arzoo Khan expressed concern over growing incidents of murder and attempt to murder and torturing of their community members and urged the government to take notice of the situation.

She said that five cases of violence were reported against their community members within last 10 days.Arzoo said five transgendered persons were attacked in Mansehra wherein one lost her life.

She said another two cases were reported against transgender in Mardan wherein one died. One case against her community member, she said, was reported in Peshawar but not a single criminal was arrested.

Arzoo deplored that the authorities had adopted mum over their genuine problems, saying no one was interested in taking action against the people responsible for the crimes. She said their parents and society were unwilling to accept them and they could not move freely.

Arzoo posed a question as to why they were not being protected. She said it was the responsibility of the government to provide them protection. She said there were 50,000 transgendered persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and it was the responsibility of the government to ensure their security.

She asked the prime minister to help provide them justice and protection and award punishment to criminals or else they would stage a sit-in outside the Parliament House in Islamabad if their demands were not accepted within three days.