Amid denials: Medical report sought on sex-change claim

Woman says she underwent surgery, married another woman

MULTAN: The Multan court has sought the medical report of a person, a female by birth, who has claimed to have changed her sex. However, the person’s parents have said that their daughter never underwent a sex-change surgery.

The name of the woman was Nazia Hassan Ahmad, 20, until she got her sex and subsequently name change to Maneel Ahmad. According to a classfellow of the person, Ayesha Sajjad, 19, she married Ahmad later. However, she told the court that her parents registered a lawsuit against her “husband”, accusing him of kidnapping her. Therefore, she requested the court to nullify the complaint as it was based on false information.

Ahmad told the court, male organs had started developing in his body and his parents were aware of it. According to him, he underwent a cosmetic surgery. When brought in the court, Ahmad’s mother denied that any such surgery took place on her daughter, saying her name was still Nazia and not Maneel. Therefore, to clear the issue, the Multan court ordered the Nishtar Hospital Multan Medical Superintendent Ashiq Malik to form a medical board for the examination of Ahmad.

According to Sajjad, Ahmad’s parents were against the marriage which is why they were not telling the truth. However, Sajjad’s parents said their support for the marriage depended on the medical report of Ahmad. They added that until the issuance of the report they neither supported the step nor were they against it.

Both Ahmad and Sajjad are residents of Taunsa, Punjab.

When called in the court, one of Ahmad’s neighbours, Shameem, said Ahmad’s behaviour was strange since childhood.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 5^th, 2016.