THE transgender community has endured contempt for too long. Abuse, sexual violence, battery and isolation persist due to official indifference. As many as 267 cases of violence against trans people over five years were recorded in KP in 2024, with just one conviction. Recently, a jirga in Swabi declared that all trans persons be expelled from the district. The shocking announcement came after the community participated in a music programme, where they allegedly clashed with police, leading to arrests, including of two trans persons. Amid these developments, Balochistan’s Transgender Policy comes as a ray of hope. It aims to protect the rights of the marginalised and ensure their socioeconomic inclusion through education, employment and social development initiatives. An Endowment Fund for Minority Welfare has been sanctioned for equal opportunities and resources, such as scholarships for trans persons and minorities.

Criminal othering, as seen in the jirga ‘verdict’, is rooted in collective intolerance. While the HRCP has issued a condemnation, saying that “no one can be deprived of the right to reside, earn a livelihood anywhere in Pakistan on the basis of gender identity”, the harsh truth is that biases keep transgender citizens out of the workforce, pushing them into sex work, dance performances and begging. As the world moves towards acceptance, our policymakers continue to fail these citizens. The absence of any political commitment to justice for them makes trans persons fearful of approaching the law enforcers — most of those who do take legal action end up opting for out-of-court settlements. Laws have, so far, not worked. For instance, parts of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018 — including self-recognition of an individual’s identity — were rejected by the Federal Shariat Court. Balochistan has shown the way. Other provinces, KP and Punjab in particular, must tread the same path. We must remember that transgender rights are human rights.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2025