On Tuesday, Nadra agreed to amend its application form for computerised national identity cards (CNICs) and include a column for transgendered people.
This decision was conveyed by Nadra’s law officer Mujahid Khan to a division bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) comprising Chief Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Salman Hamid.
Khan was called to court for the hearing of a petition filed by transgendered people’s representative Bindiya Rani, who moved the court against the alleged discrimination of Nadra, hospitals, Zakat committees and other departments. Rani maintained that transgendered people suffer the indifferent or insulting attitude of government functionaries. They said that even at hospitals they were insulted and treated in a degrading manner.
The application forms for CNICs will now contain the third option of ‘khwaja sara’ (transgender) along with ‘male’ and ‘female’ so that these people can tick this column and the gender marked on their CNICs will be ‘khwaja sara’, informed Khan. The medical superintendents of two hospitals, Civil Hospital, Karachi and Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre, also appeared before the court and submitted circulars. The circulars were issued to all the heads of medical units, including the chief casualty medical officer, informing them that when all medicines are available at the dispensaries and stores, then transgendered people must also be provided with the prescribed drugs. The medical superintendents assured the court that they will direct their subordinates to treat transgendered people with the deference offered to other patients.
To a query from the bench, the petitioner Rani said that after they receive the new CNICs, they would also be able to apply for Zakat funds.
The bench adjourned the hearing to January 14.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 15th, 2010.
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