On Friday (January 27), a video of a transgender woman, dancing at a government office, in exchange for ration went viral on social media. The incident took place in Gujranwala city in the Punjab province of Pakistan.
According to a Pakistani channel ‘Express News’, the transgender was asked to dance and please the officials at the government office in exchange for food supplies. Forced by circumstances, she had to give in to their demands.
The staff, present at the office, also showered currency notes on her. The despicable act drew the ire of social media users, who sought strict action against the accused government officials.
After the video went viral, the Deputy Commissioner of Gujranwala ordered an inquiry into the matter. Reportedly, the officer-in-charge at the government department claimed that the video was old and that the transgender danced on her own accord.
Pakistan: JUI-F challenges Transgender Protection Act in Federal Sharia court
In September last year, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), a Pakistan government ally and member of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), challenged Pakistan’s Transgender Protection Act, 2018, at the Federal Shariat Court (FSC).
The party contested the law and demanded that it be ruled incompatible with Islamic Shariah, arguing that no law that conflicts with the Quran and Sunnah can be passed in the Islamic nation.
The plight of transgenders in Pakistan
For a long time, the situation of transgender people in Pakistan has been dire. Many people in Pakistan see trans individuals as misfits, particularly in conservative areas where they are frequently sexually molested, raped, and even murdered.
They also avoid enrolling in conventional schools in order to escape prejudice. While there is opposition to transgender legislation, a hotline for transgender persons has been established in an effort to protect them from discrimination and harassment.
The hotline comes as the Shehbaz Sharif government attempts to revise the transgender rights bill to allow trans persons to select their gender identity for previously issued government documents and national identity cards.