TAXILA: Chanting slogans against the police for ‘failing to provide justice to them’, transgender persons staged a protest outside the Hassanabdal press club on Saturday.

Led by Nadra Khan, the president of Hazara Transgender Association and KP provincial youth parliament member, the protesters said the police were not registering a case against a group of people who subjected the community members to harassment, extortion and snatched cash and jewellery from them.

The protesters said they will fight for their rights until the police provided justice to them.

Talking to the press, Nadra Khan said a five-member dance party led by Gul Mashal was going to Rawalpindi after performing at a marriage ceremony in Kot Sondaki in the limits of Hassanabdal police on October 12 when 11 armed people intercepted them and tried to abduct them.

She said when the transgender persons resisted the armed men, the latter subjected them to torture, harassment and snatched Rs0.4 million and jewellery from them.

The protesters said the victims visited the police station and filed an application against the suspects but the police were still reluctant to register the FIR.

“I have visited Hassanabdal from Rawalpindi many times to get a copy of the FIR but without any success,” said Gul Mashal. She said she also tried to met the subdivisional police officer to apprised him of her grievances but he did not bother to listen to her.

Nadra Khan said 54 transgender were killed and 599 others were subjected to physical torture in the country over the last two years but the police did not take any action against the killers.

“We want to be treated with dignity in ‘Naya Pakistan’ and the PTI government should make it sure that it is different from its predecessors by enacting special laws and protecting the transgender persons,” she said.

The protesters demanded that the police authorities should take notice of the latest issue and punish those responsible for targeting the transgender persons.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2020