PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday summoned the returning officer of Peshawar’s provincial assembly constituency PK-81 for explaining his position on noncompliance with its orders to arrange separate queues for transgender persons at polling stations.

A bench consisting of Justice Shakeel Ahmed and Justice Sahibzada Asaduallah fixed March 25 for next hearing into the contempt petition of a transgender candidate in the constituency, Sobia Khan, who insisted that despite the court’s orders, separate queues weren’t arranged for the voters of her community for casting votes.

It directed the returning officer to appear before it on the next hearing.

The petitioner, whose name on her CNIC is Mohammad Bilal, said besides separate queues, the court had also ordered security for transgender persons in elections.

Next hearing into contempt plea fixed for next month

Advocates Mehwish Muhib Kakakhel and Nouman Muhib Kakakhel represented the petitioner and said while disposing of a petition of the present petitioner, the high court had issued order to the Election Commission of Pakistan and relevant returning officer to provide safety and security to transgender community and to arrange separate queues for them so that they couldn’t be humiliated and harassed during the casting of votes.

They, however, said on the polling day on Feb 8, transgender community was not allowed to enter polling stations and therefore, they were stopped from exercising their franchise – a fundamental right granted to them by the Constitution.

The lawyers said the petitioner had waited for three hours to cast her vote.

They said the petitioner requested male polling station officer to let her cast vote but that was denied, so she approached the polling staff of the female booth.

The counsel added that the presiding officer of the relevant polling station had informed the petitioner in writing that they had no arrangements for transgender voters at polling stations.

They claimed that their client’s authorised polling agents were also not permitted to enter polling stations and were instead humiliated.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2024