Pakistan's Transgender Community Faces Systematic Evictions and Police Harassment Despite Legal Protections

Transgender activists have reported that their community members are currently living under persistent threat in Pakistan.

In Peshawar, transgender community leaders on Wednesday made serious allegations against police forces, accusing them of forcibly evicting community members from various provincial districts.

The leaders expressed grave concerns regarding law enforcement's apparent inaction against those committing extortion, kidnappings, and murders targeting transgender individuals throughout the region, according to Dawn news report.

During a press conference held at the Peshawar Press Club, Farzana Riaz, who serves as president of the Transgender Community Organisation, spoke out against what she described as systematic "persecution" of transgender people. Accompanied by the organization's vice president Mahi Gul, she highlighted that despite numerous appeals for justice, perpetrators of violence, extortion, and abduction targeting transgender persons remain free from punishment and seemingly enjoy police protection. Meanwhile, police efforts appear focused on removing transgender individuals from their homes.

"Transgender individuals have consistently received death threats and faced extortion attempts. Those refusing to comply often end up murdered. We simply demand our fundamental right to live," Riaz stated firmly.

Farzana Riaz expressed profound disappointment that despite ongoing legal proceedings, police officers in collaboration with influential figures have orchestrated the forced displacement of transgender persons from regions including Swabi, Nowshera, Charsadda, and other areas. "It feels as though we are being treated as citizens from an enemy nation," she remarked with evident distress.

The organization leader noted that when community members seek assistance from relevant government offices, they routinely face rejection. "The court has requested explanations from both the provincial inspector general of police and the city police chief, yet neither has provided responses despite numerous hearings. The court has extended the deadline until November 4," she pointed out, as reported by Dawn.

According to Riaz, police officials across various districts have been organizing meetings with local elders and religious leaders, encouraging them to expel transgender individuals from their communities. "In Swabi, transgender women like Naseema received 15-day ultimatums to vacate their homes and suffered physical abuse prior to eviction," she revealed.

She indicated that comparable incidents have been documented in Charsadda, Mingora, Haripur, Buner, and Nowshera as well.

Farzana Riaz alleged that police frequently demand transgender individuals' participation in their events or private gatherings, with those who refuse facing harassment and forced relocation. "We have approached every possible institution, yet justice remains elusive," she noted. Riaz lamented that six years ago, the PTI government had announced specialized hospital wards for transgender individuals, but they continue to receive treatment in general men's wards.

She also highlighted the government's failure to fulfill promised employment opportunities for the transgender community, with officials citing lack of demographic data as justification, according to the Dawn report.