Peshawar [Pakistan], October 15 : Leaders representing transgender individuals on Wednesday accused the police of forcibly removing members of their community from various districts in the province.
They also expressed concerns regarding the police's inaction against extortionists, kidnappers, and the murders of transgender individuals throughout the region, as reported by Dawn.
During a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, Farzana Riaz, president of the Transgender Community Organisation, condemned the "persecution" faced by her community. Alongside the organisation's vice president, Mahi Gul, she stated that despite numerous pleas for justice, the perpetrators of violence, extortion, and abduction against transgender persons remain unpunished and often seem to have police protection. Meanwhile, the police focus on evicting members of her community from their residences.
"Transgender individuals have faced repeated death threats and extortion attempts, and those who refuse to comply are often murdered. We demand our rightful opportunity to live," she stated.
Farzana Riaz expressed her disappointment that, even with ongoing court cases, police officers and powerful individuals have conspired to forcibly displace transgender persons from areas such as Swabi, Nowshera, Charsadda, and others. "It feels as though we are treated as if we are citizens of an enemy nation," she remarked.
The organisation's leader noted that when members of her community seek assistance from relevant government offices, they are met with rejection. "The court has requested an explanation from both the provincial inspector general of police and the city police chief, yet neither has responded despite numerous hearings, with the court extending the deadline until November 4," she pointed out, as highlighted by the Dawn report.
Farzana Riaz stated that police officials in various districts have convened with local elders and religious leaders, encouraging them to expel transgender individuals from their neighbourhoods. "In areas like Swabi, transgender women such as Naseema were given a 15-day ultimatum to vacate their homes and were physically abused before their eviction," she stated.
She indicated that similar incidents have been reported in Charsadda, Mingora, Haripur, Buner, and Nowshera as well.
Farzana Riaz claimed that police often demanded participation in their events or private gatherings, and those who declined faced harassment and displacement. "We have reached out to every institution, yet justice continues to be out of reach," she noted. Farzana Riaz lamented that six years ago, the PTI government had announced designated hospital wards for transgender individuals, but they still receive treatment in general wards for men.
She also mentioned that the government failed to fulfil its promise of providing employment opportunities for her community, citing the unavailability of data as the reason, according to the Dawn report.
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