SWABI: The members of local jirgas of different regions and leaders of political parties here on Thursday demanded of the authorities to expel the transgender persons belonging to other districts from Swabi.

In a meeting with DPO Imran Shahid, they said technical training should be imparted to local transgender persons so that they could earn their livelihood with dignity and honour.

The meeting was attended by PPP’s Javed Iqilabi, PML-N’s Rab Nawaz, general secretary of Maneri Bala Jirga Amir Nawab, general secretary of Swabi Khas Jirga Safdar Khan, social worker Abdul Muneem Khan, president of Samaji Behbood Rabita Council Roohal Amin, president of Al-Kher Tanzeem Wisal Khan and others.

Briefing journalists, Amir Nawab said that they had received reports about use of drugs in musical shows of transgender persons. He said that many transgender persons belonged to other districts but they lived in rented houses in Swabi.

He said that activities of transgender persons had harmed the culture and peace of the district. He said that training centre should be established in the district to impart technical skills to local transgender persons.

Javed Inqilabi told Dawn that police officials said that they would use peaceful means to tell the non-local transgender persons to leave the district but force could not be used against them because they also had the right to live and earn their livelihood.

“The police officials also said that the jirga members should play their role in discouraging such musical shows in their respective areas,” he said.

However, some transgender persons said that their landlords told them to vacate the rented houses. They said that they were under tremendous pressure from police, jirga members and politicians.

Meanwhile, Maulana Attaulhaq Darvaish of JUI-F and leaders of other religious parties also demanded expulsion of non-local transgender persons from the district.

A group of transgender persons also met the DPO the other day and demanded protection of their rights. They said that their musical shows were frequently raided by police and they were not allowed to hold concerts.

ROOF COLLAPSE: Five buffaloes were killed when roof of a mud house collapsed in Chota Lahor.

Sarfaraz Khan, the house owner, said that soon after the incident, local people started efforts to save the animals but they succeeded to rescue only three buffaloes while five were killed.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2020