The price she paid was death

When young Dolphin fled home, she knew the ire of her blood would one day hound her down

PESHAWAR:

Born to a conservative family in the small village of Merozai in the Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dolphin had spent some eighteen summers of her life living as Farhan Ahmed. The withdrawn but still conforming son of Waheed Ahmed.

Though Farhan had always felt something amiss about himself, for the longest time he couldn’t tell what it was. The obliviousness had allowed the youth just enough time to complete his matriculation from a government school in his neighborhood.

Things however began to change when Farhan befriended a group of local Khwaja Siras. The more time he’d spend with them, the more he’d learn about himself. The glitzy costumes, the music, the brazen dancing; the liberty of self-expression, all began to feel home to the youth, more than home ever did.

Farhan’s family, which had been seeing his transformation from afar, could never be the one to come to terms with it. Over the years, their disapprovals grew bolder and fiercer. Confrontations became more violent and soon, the youth was left with no option but to flee for his life.

The mask of Farhan Ahmed was left and put to rest in Merozai. What came to Swabi was a self-accepting transgender woman who would soon come to be known as Dolphin. Here, she’d find the opportunity to express herself in the way she’d always seen fit. She’d find a community and the many liberties she could never imagine having in her stifling hometown of Kohat. No one knew Farhan Ahmed here. It was just Dolphin and she was free to live her life.

However, even when fleeing home, young Dolphin knew the ire of her blood would one day hound her down. Which is why all her visits to Kohat were carried out in great secrecy. Out of the same fear, she would stay at a relative’s house instead of her own and make all efforts to stay off of her immediate family’s radar.

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Things took a turn for the grave on March 1, when information of Dolphin’s visit to Kohat was somehow leaked to her family. Soon, her body was discovered from a dump in an area known locally as Mirzai. She had been murdered in cold blood just a few hours after arriving in her hometown. A First Information Report was lodged with the Kohat Police for Dolphin’s murder, upon request of her father Waheed Ahmed.

“At first, we had nothing which offered any explanation of the youth’s mysterious murder. But later, investigations revealed that Farhan’s family was strictly against him identifying as a transgender person. The most irked of kin would be his brother, who found Farhan attending local dance parties in the guise of a woman, a jab to his own self-respect,” told Kohat District Police Officer Sohail Khalid.

Upon suspicion, Dolphin’s brother Rehman was soon booked for questioning. The accused confessed shooting Dolphin out of spite, during preliminary interrogation. Following which, the murder weapon was recovered and taken into police custody. “I was hurt. The embarrassment of my brother choosing to turn into a Khwaja Sira was too much,” Rehman told the police.

“We condemn dancing too but murdering my child was cruel beyond measure. I had no idea my son would punish his own brother so severely. He should be arrested and brought to justice” the deceased’s father said lamentingly.

Speaking in the regard, K-P Shemale Association President Arzu Khan, said that this is not the first time a transgender person has been murdered by her brother. “We have seen similar cases in Mansehra, Peshawar, Mardan and everywhere else. There is no respect for a transgender person’s life here and we will keep raising our voice until there is accountability,” she claimed.

Addressing the case Kohat’s Information Technology Advisor to the Chief Minister Ziaullah Bangash on the other hand, said that it’s regrettable to see such stringent attitudes towards transgender persons, despite the government’s various efforts to push for inclusivity. “The accused has been arrested and will be punished to the full extent of the law,” he assured.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2021.