Transgender rights under fire — activist Barfi shot, others attacked across K-P

195 transgender killed, 1,000 injured; no perpetrators convicted

Transgender activist Barfi was brutally shot in the leg at Ghanta Ghar, Peshawar, and is now fighting for her life — a harrowing symbol of the growing fear faced by transgender persons across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). Recent months have also seen assaults on activist Chahat, the murder of Maria, and the fatal shooting of Alisha in Mardan, highlighting a disturbing surge in targeted attacks.

At a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, Transgender Community Organisation President Farzana Riaz and Vice President Mahigul accused police of carrying out illegal evictions while failing to act against extortionists, kidnappers, and killers.

“Hamein har district se nikala ja raha hai (We are being expelled from every district),” Farzana said. “Hamari to apni koi shanakht bhi nahi hai (We do not even have our own identity)”.

Read: Bullet-riddled bodies of three transgender persons found in Karachi’s Memon Goth

She explained that local communities and police often accuse transgender persons of involvement in “anti-society” or sexual activities as a pretext for forced removals.

“We need means to live, we need a place in society. If we are given respect and recognition, we too can live with dignity. If we are provided with livelihoods and accepted by society, then why would we be forced into such work?” Farzana urged.

Extortion remains rampant. “Ham se laakhon rupay ka bhatta liya ja raha hai (We are being extorted for millions of rupees),” she said, adding that 17 transgender persons collectively paid over Rs10 million. Those refusing to pay face beatings, harassment, and eviction.

Over the past year, nearly 195 transgender persons have been killed, and more than 1,000 injured, yet not a “single accused has been convicted.”

Activists criticised politicians’ broken promises, including former Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s pledge for separate hospital beds. The 2018 PTI government's promise of separate hospital wards remains unfulfilled, forcing transgender persons to endure humiliation in male wards.

Endowment funds and identity recognition promised to the community have also never materialised.

“Since Imran Khan went to jail, our situation has become even more difficult,” one activist said, citing heightened police crackdowns.

Read More: Protest staged against killing of trans persons

Police, together with local elders and councillors, have allegedly conducted crackdowns in Swabi, Nowshera, Charsadda, Swat, Haripur, Batkhela, and Buner. In Swabi, activist Naseema and others were issued 15-day eviction notices, assaulted, and forcibly expelled.

The Peshawar High Court has intervened, ordering the IG K-P Police and CCPO Peshawar to submit reports by November 4, but no response has yet been filed.

“We continue to face humiliation wherever we go,” Mahigul said, also condemning clerics who incite violence against transgender persons through mosque loudspeakers.

Arzoo Khan, Executive Director of Manzil Foundation, condemned the attacks. “We are facing an unending wave of violence in K-P, yet the government is nowhere to be seen when it comes to protecting the transgender community”.

The community is now looking to the new provincial leadership. “We are hoping the new Chief Minister Shoaib Afridi will finally take concrete steps for our protection and rights,” Farzana said.

She concluded, “We are part of this society, not outsiders. We deserve safety and respect, and the right to live with dignity, just like every other normal citizen in Pakistan”.