Expressing its strong displeasure over the non-recruitment of members of the transgender community in the police, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday summoned Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Rao Sardar Ali to come immediately and explain as to why he did not make sure that members of the community got jobs in the Force.
During the hearing of a petition filed against the non-provision of jobs to eunuchs in the police department despite the allocation of a job quota for them, Justice Shujaat Ali Khan made it clear that the bench would write it down in its order that the IGP’s act of writing a letter in which he gave instructions to his subordinates not to give jobs to she males was done without studying the law dealing with the subject.
“The very fact that none has appeared from the IGP Office in the court today is sufficient to show non-seriousness on the part of top police brass towards the issue,” he remarked.
Additional Advocate General Rana Shamshad Ali appeared in the court on behalf of the Punjab government.
Muhammad Nawaz alias Ashi Jan, the petitioner, had stated that not only in the police, members of the transgender community were not being given jobs in other government departments as well. Justice Shujaat remarked that the constitution of Pakistan gave transgender rights at par with other citizens of the country.
“Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018 gives this right to members of the community that they can get jobs as well as become people’s representatives,” the judge said, and added, “Similarly, the Act guarantees them the right to education, health, property and cast votes.”
Justice Shujaat said if such was the status of eunuchs in the country, then why were they being denied jobs in government departments?
Counsel for the petitioner, on the occasion, told the court that the Sindh government had already allocated quota for members of the transgender community in government jobs.
