Transgender persons joining parties for LG elections

After getting one per cent representation in the local government bodies, members of the transgender community have increasingly been joining political parties to take part in the LG elections in Karachi.

In December, Sindh became the first province in the country to reserve one per cent seats each for people of determination and members of the transgender community in LG councils.

The proposal to reserve seats for special persons and transgender people was formalised as the provincial assembly passed into law the Sindh Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2021.

On Tuesday, a group of transgender community leaders had announced joining the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf during a meeting with the party’s leaders. PTI Karachi President Bilal Ghaffar, and MPAs Shahzad Qureshi, Seema Zia and Adeeba Hassan welcomed the transgender leaders into the party and discussed the LG polls in the city.

The PTI leaders also appointed transgender rights activist Kami Sid a focal person for representing the transgender community in the LG elections. Kami said that reserving one per cent for the transgender community is a historic and human-friendly amendment in the LG bill.

“Because of it, systemic barriers to entry of transgender people into politics, and for

political parties to induct more members of the community into their ranks, will be removed.” She said that political parties are now welcoming members of the transgender community into their ranks in a respected manner.

The Kami-led transgender rights body, the Sub Rang Society, will hold a meeting at its office on Friday (tomorrow) to train the community members on how to take part in the polls. Last month, a group of transgender activists associated with the country’s first transgender church, had announced joining the PPP during a news conference in the presence of PPP Karachi Minority Wing President Mushtaq Matto, transgender leader Bindiya Rana and Pastor Ghazala Shafiq.