HARIPUR: The police on Friday baton-charged the protesting transgender persons and briefly detained over 15 of them after they blocked the GT Road to protest a ‘ban’ on their performance in the wedding parties and other functions.

A police official said that a contingent headed by SHO city Haroon Khan first tried to persuade the protesters to open the road, but when the transgender persons declined, the police resorted to baton charge and arrested over 15 protesters.

He said the arrested persons were later released when members of the transgender persons’ association tendered an apology for their ‘unlawful’ act of blocking the road.

Talking to Dawn, Saima Shaukat, president of the transgender persons’ association, Haripur, confirmed that her community members blocked the GT Road near the DC office against what she said was a ban on their performances in the wedding/dance parties.

She said over 15-20 members of her community staged the protest after a severe financial crisis left them unable to run their kitchens and pay their house rents,

Rani Hazara, the association’s vice-president, also recorded a video statement from the city police station wherein she attributed her community’s protest to a nine-month-long ‘ban’ on their performance in functions, but said the things had been resolved between her community and the police amicably. She declared that those blocking the road wouldn’t be provided any support from the association. DC Waseem Ahmed said there was no ban on transgender persons’ functions.

DPO Shafiullah Khan Gandapur also denied imposing any ban on the functions of transgender persons.

SHORTAGE OF STAFF: The Pakistan Engineers Forum (PEF), Hazara Region, has expressed concern over the shortage of engineers and growing administrative and technical issues in Hazara Electric Supply Company (Hazesco), and has demanded corrective measures to ensure efficient functioning and improved service delivery.

In a statement, PEF Hazara president Eng Mohammad Asad said a large number of engineering posts in Hazesco were lying vacant, badly affecting its overall performance. He demanded that all vacant posts of engineers must be filled urgently to provide better services to consumers. Similarly, the required field technical staff should also be recruited to improve service delivery, he added.

He emphasised that preference should be given to qualified local engineers in recruitment. He objected to the practice of posting lower technical staff or non-qualified personnel against engineering posts. Eng Asad also demanded that advance increments for higher qualifications, including MS, MPhil, and PhD, should be granted to all engineers working in Hazesco.

The forum also demanded the restoration of the facility of limited free electricity units for engineers.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2026