Zubair Qureshi
For all our claims of civilization and inclusion, we are still not used to see a transgender doing a respectable job or working a ‘9 to 5’ jobs like us the common folks.
Pakistan’s transgender community is facing a number of social and financial problems as the society is reluctant in accepting them as dignified members.
Prominent transgender social activist and political worker, Nayyab Ali, in an interview with Pakistan Observer highlighted plight of her community saying despite the fact they have been granted by the government of Pakistan their own identity as ‘transgender’ people, society and government departments are still not ready to make them part of their lives.
“Despite passage of 73 years, for us, still there are three professions where we can try our luck: Begging, dancing (for money) and prostitution,” said Nayyab.
What is so disturbing for a transgender member of society that his/her own parents refuse to own/accept him/her and because of humiliation and social taboo a transgender is very often compelled to leave family/home and join this community that is already living in abject poverty and is subjected to violence, rape and discrimination.
While referring to recent incidents of murder of a number of transgenders Nayyab said two members of her community Gul Pana and Angoori were killed by their intimate partners while the murder of a transgender in Swabi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) was committed by her parents. This is not a new thing as the history of violence against transgenders is quite old in Pakistan the difference is now the media is reporting these cases, said Nayyab.
When asked what transgender community was facing in Pakistani society, she said issues of vulnerability, stigmatization, violence, discrimination and naming and shaming were most common and unfortunately, most of the members of the community have stopped bothering about being singled out on the basis of their gender.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, there are 10,418 transgenders in Pakistan but this is not correct as this number alone exists in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. According to our own estimates and organization of transgenders, they are around 500,000 in the country. He called upon the government to make inclusive policies for transgenders and give them their rightful share in jobs, representation and other social and economic benefits. Recently, a Pakistani transgender community member Nadeem Kashish founded a political party Azad Party (Free Party) to end the transgender community’s backwardness and to give them representation in the Parliament.
