Hearing of transgender person abuse case held

Activist says SHO could not provide an answer as to why he tortured the people who are transgender for almost 10 hours

PESHAWAR: Nowshera Cantt SHO Khalid — who was reportedly involved in illegally detaining seven people who are transgender for about 10 hours — presented himself before an enquiry committee on Monday at the Human Rights Directorate K-P.

At the first hearing, Khalid admitted to arresting the people who are transgender, saying he did so under pressure from a religious political party. He failed to present any legal justification for his act.

While talking to The Express Tribune, a rights activist, Qamar Naseem, said the SHO could not provide an answer as to why he tortured the people who are transgender for almost 10 hours. “How can we expect justice from others if the people appointed by the government would do such a thing with a vulnerable group of society?” Naseem asked.

When contacted, K-P Human Rights Director Noor Zaman Khattak said the police have no right to arrest any citizen without filing an FIR against them. “The police are bound to submit a detailed answer to the human rights directorate and the enquiry committee to address all the allegations.” On July 14, seven people who are transgender were arrested by Khalid – no FIR was registered against them. He took them to the police station where they were reportedly sexually abused by members of the force.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2016.