Karachi, Sep 25 (NationPress) Members of the transgender community and civil society are staging protest rallies in Karachi, Pakistan following the tragic murders of three transgender individuals. They are demanding justice and have vowed to continue their demonstrations until the culprits are apprehended, as reported by local media on Thursday.

One notable protest took place outside the Karachi Press Club, organized under the banner of 'Justice for the Khwaja Sira Community'. Prominent transgender leaders, including Chandni Shah, Sarah Gul, Advocate Nisha Rao, Kami Choudhry, and Bandia Rana, along with supporters from the Awami Workers Party, participated in this rally. Protesters urged both federal and provincial governments to ensure the safety of the community and bring the murderers to justice, as highlighted by Pakistan's The Express Tribune.

GIA chairperson Bandia Rana emphasized that the protests aim to spotlight the grievances faced by the transgender community. She pointed out that targeted murders of trans individuals are persisting and noted that similar rallies were also held in Hyderabad and Sukkur in light of the recent killings. Rana mentioned that the transgender community is grappling with unemployment and exclusion from government jobs, forcing many into desperate circumstances. She lamented the lack of basic services available to the transgender community and the additional harms caused by misleading propaganda from certain groups.

In the previous month, the transgender community in Pakistan organized a significant protest against the alarming rise in violent attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Farzana Riaz, President of the Trans Action Alliance, and Madam Arzoo Khan, Executive Director of the Manzil Foundation, led this demonstration outside the Mardan Press Club, highlighting the police's failure to protect the community.

After the protest, Farzana disclosed to reporters that since 2015, 158 transgender individuals have been murdered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with no cases leading to justice thus far. She lamented that violence against the transgender community is becoming commonplace, attributed to the government’s inability to provide adequate protection.

Community leaders expressed their frustration, accusing the police of viewing interactions with transgender individuals as beneath their dignity. They called upon human rights organizations to amplify their voices against the injustices they face.