LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday directed the Punjab government to submit record of the previous 10 years showing number of jobs given to members of the transgender community.

Justice Shujaat Ali Khan was hearing a petition by Muhammad Nawaz alias Ashi Jan, a member of the community, seeking implementation of the constitutional provisions and the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2018.

Representing the petitioner, Advocate Shahbaz Akmal told the court he also filed two fresh civil miscellaneous applications seeking directions for the government to allocate job quota for transgenders in all departments and to mention eligibility for the members of the transgender community in the advertisement for employments.

The counsel pointed out that the government had not submitted a reply and para wise comments to the main petition as directed by the court on the previous hearing.

An assistant advocate general sought time to file the replies and the judge adjourned hearing till Nov 29 with a direction to the law officer to also submit record of the jobs awarded to transgender persons in all departments during the last 10 years.

In the main petition, the petitioner’s counsel had submitted that the government authorities had been violating the provisions of the relevant laws by not recruiting members of the transgender community in police. He said the inspector general of police in response to a petitioner’s letter admitted that no transperson had been appointed in the region.

He said the act of the respondent was against the Constitution and in violation of sections 4 & 9 of the Act.

The counsel asked the court to order the chief secretary and the social welfare department to ensure the implementation on the Act as even after three years transpersons did not get their right of employment.

He asked the court to seek an explanation from the office of the IGP as to why it did not recruit a single transperson during the last 10 years.

*Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2021