Sindh beats all in eunuchs’ assimilation

Court asks federal, provincial govts to create job opportunities for eunuchs. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

ISLAMABAD: Reviewing progress on a formal recognition and assimilation of eunuchs into the mainstream society, the Supreme Court on Wednesday appreciated steps taken by the Sindh government and directed other provinces to follow its example.

The court directed federal and provincial governments to create job opportunities for eunuchs and expedite steps for their recognition.

“Eunuchs are Pakistani citizens and nobody can deprive them of their rights to inheritance,” a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry observed.

The chief justice also appreciated the role of National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) for issuing Computerised National Identity Cards for eunuchs.

The court heard each province’s progress on this front. The representative from Balochistan said the provincial government had registered 121 eunuchs from across the province, but added that the community was not cooperating with the government.

The Balochistan government has provided jobs to four eunuchs and is planning to create more job opportunities for them, he added.

Punjab’s Additional advocate general informed the court that the province had 1,034 eunuchs. Of them, 480 have been issued CNICs while 331 have been registered as voters, he added.

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa representative said his government has issued directives to all education officers to create job opportunities for the transgendered.

Saeed Ahmad Qureshi, spokesperson for Sindh health department, said they had hired eunuchs for the polio eradication campaign and they fared even better than their female counterparts. The provincial government has announced a residential colony for the eunuchs, he added.

The chief justice appreciated Sindh’s efforts: “Other provinces should follow Sindh as a role model regarding the welfare of eunuchs.”

Almas Bobby, focal person for the transgendered, informed the court that NADRA was issuing CNICs on a fast-track basis. He asked the court to direct the authority to write the names of applicant’s gurus (leaders), instead of fathers. The court asked the NADRA chairman to look into the issue and accommodate the applicants.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2^nd, 2012.