ISLAMABAD: A Senate committee on Friday suggested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs work with the relevant authorities in Saudi Arabia to investigate the alleged murder of a Pakistani citizen by the Saudi police.

The Senate Committee on Human Rights met for updates on the case of a Pakistani transgender person allegedly tortured to death by the Saudi police in March and also discussed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2017.

Mohammad Ijaz from the ministry’s Middle East desk told the meeting that the Saudi police have declined to share the findings of its investigation to determine the Pakistani citizen’s cause of death.

“The Foreign Office has written to the Saudi government thrice, bringing into notice Pakistan’s concerns about the unnatural death of its citizen. The Saudi government has not responded yet,” Mr Ijaz said. He told the committee it could take up to two months before the Saudi authorities shared their findings.

Senator Farhatullah Babar proposed that the Foreign Office work on asking Saudi Arabia to allow Pakistani officials to assist the Saudi authorities in what would be a joint investigation, a suggestion Mr Ijaz said could be taken up with the Saudi government.

Other committee members criticised the ministry’s role, with Senator Sitara Ayaz saying letters were insufficient.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has abandoned Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia,” she said.

Senator Mir Kabir Ahmed Mohammad Shahi added: “It is not just Saudi Arabia; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has abandoned Pakistani citizens all over the world.”

Senate committee gives NCHR one month to fine tune transgender rights protection bill

The committee demanded the ministry take up the case with the Saudi government at every forum until the cause of a Pakistani citizen’s death has been determined and action has been taken. The committee said that no state, not even friendly countries, could kill Pakistani citizens.

Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2017

The committee on Friday also gave the National Commission on Human Rights a month to fine tune the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2017.

Committee members said that the transgender community is one of the most marginalised groups in the country, and faces social exclusion, discrimination, lack of access to education, unemployment and lack of access to healthcare.

The bill prohibits discrimination against transgender people and enshrines their right to be recognised as such.

It also provides for the establishment of an ombudsman to address grievances related to gender identity and enshrines the right to recruitment and employment.

The committee also suggested including more provisions in the bill, such as a provision to punish families that abandoned “transgender children”, by which they meant children who are born intersex.

“It is important to include members of the transgender community in the decision-making process in the ombudsman office,” Mr Babar said. Committee chairman Senator Jehanzeb Jamaldini proposed the inclusion of transgender citizens from all provinces in the National Advisory Board that would be set up under the bill.

It was also suggested that the proposed law be made applicable in all the provinces following a resolution from the provincial governments allowing the federal law to prevail across the country.

Explaining the bill, commission chairman retired Justice Ali Nawaz Chohan said the definition for ‘transgender’ used in the bill is in compliance with that given by the United Nations.

“The law gives transgender people the right to register themselves according to their self-perceived identity. There is no screening committee in the bill presented by the NCHR as it violates the right to privacy. Our consultations show that transgender individuals do not hide their true gender.

“The bill presented also protects the right to inherit, right to assembly and other fundamental rights and directs the federal government to take special measures for the protection and promotion of fundamental rights,” Mr Chohan said.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2017