PESHAWAR: A Peshawar High Court bench has summoned the provincial secretary and director of elementary and secondary education for seeking their views over a writ petition of an educated transgender person seeking reservation of two percent job quota for his community members in the education department.

Justice Ikramullah Khan and Justice Mohammad Ayub Khan also directed the president of Peshawar High Court Bar Association and member of KP Bar Council to appear before the court on the next hearing to give their opinion on the matter.

Petitioner Rahim Dad Khan, a resident of Charsadda district, also requested the court to order his appointment to the education department claiming he’s highly qualified.

Jawed Iqbal Gulbela, lawyer for the petitioner, said his client had done his master’s in International Relations along with BEd and Class Teacher courses.

He said the petitioner was qualified to be appointed as secondary school teacher (SST) in BPS-16 as he was having more than the requisite qualification.

The lawyer said recently, the elementary and secondary education department published an advertisement for vacant posts in different cadres.

He said job quotas were specified for persons with disability and minorities in jobs, there was no quota reserved for transgender persons.

The lawyer cited the Supreme Court orders issued on Sept 25, 2012, for the government to specify quota for transgender community in jobs of all services.

The petitioner requested the court to accept the petition and direct the education department to allocate two percent quota for members of transgender and modify the impugned advertisement accordingly.

The respondents in the petition are the KP chief secretary, elementary and secondary education secretary, elementary and secondary education director, establishment secretary and provincial finance secretary.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2018