PESHAWAR: One transgender person was killed and another injured when unidentified men opened fire on them here in the provincial capital's Palosi neighbourhood, police said Wednesday, in what comes as the latest case of anti-trans violence.
The wounded person was transferred to the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), police said, adding that the deceased transgender was identified as Gul Panra.
Shortly after the news surfaced, people demanded action be taken against the perpetrators and the hashtag #JusticeforGulPanra shot to the top trend in Pakistan.
An investigation into the homicide underway, they stated.
It is important to note here that some reports on social media have erroneously identified Gul Panra, the transgender woman, as Gul Panra, the Pushto singer — who is alive.
The president of Peshawar-based transgender rights group, TransAction Alliance Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Farzana Ilyas, demanded the killers of transgender individuals be arrested.
"I condemn last night's incident and I demand justice," she told Geo News, referring to the shooting of Gul Panra and her friend in Peshawar.
Farzana slammed the provincial government for its failure to protect transgender people as trans violence, including incidents of rape and murder, "are rising".
"In the last four or five years, 1,500 transgender individuals have been raped and 68 murdered since 2015," the trans activist said.
In a report last year, Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing the local group Trans Action, said at least "479 attacks against transgender women were reported in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in 2018".
A milestone for the transgender rights came when a law for basic rights of trans individuals and protecting them against workplace discrimination was passed in 2018; however, the figures recording anti-trans violence have remained dismal despite the law.
In fact, a national census back in 2017 that estimated the number of transgender individuals in Pakistan at close to 10,500 was shunned by many in the community for failing to represent the real strength of the minority.
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