Are we giving full rights to the minorities? Are we doing justice to them? These are the questions mainly raised whenever someone talks about minorities especially Trans who suffer a lot in Pakistan.
They have always been neglected throughout Pakistan, even though after lots of struggle government has allowed them to live a normal life like others.
But still, there’s a long road to cross and it looks like the road never ends after what happened yesterday to one of the Climate March Trans organizers.
In Karachi, the People’s Climate March organizer comes under the banner of Karachi Bachao Tehreek (KBT) a Trans allegedly tortured, abducted, and brutally raped by some unknown men before the march.
People’s Climate March Trans organizer abducted and raped
According to the Gender Interactive Alliance (GIA) and Karachi Bachao Tehreek confirmed. On Saturday while she was heading on her way home after the climate March meeting she was abducted by some men.
“We organized a People’s Climate March in Karachi. The night before our protest, we held an organizing meeting. One of our organizers, a Trans woman, was abducted on her way home. She was tortured and raped,” the KBT said in a tweet.
The kidnappers kept her for around three hours, tortured her to take some information regarding the march and later they raped her.
“It is worth noting that this police violence was disproportionately directed towards a trans woman – that sexual violence was weaponized against one of the most vulnerable members of the organizing team.
So that information about the march and its program could be extorted from her,” it added.
Everyone remembers Julie who was also one of the activists and was arrested by the police for a fabricated case.
Shahzadi Rai’s detailed remarks
Shahzadi Rai, the Gender Interactive Alliance’s (GIA) ‘violence case manager’, told Dawn.com that the KBT activist “was picked up on her way to a home near Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and kept in illegal custody for three hours where she was tortured and raped before being released near matric board office in Nazimabad”.
She further added, “the suspects asked the activist in captivity about the details of the march program and speakers”.
“The transgender was terrified and appeared reluctant to lodge a case,” said Shahzadi, who deals with cases of torture against the transgender community.
KBT’s other members also revealed that they hold a meeting with the human rights commission formed by the Sindh government to discuss the matter.
It’s not the first time that any Transgender faced such violence and torture. Earlier this year, Transgender Rimal Ali’s eyebrows were shaved by the man who tortured her.
Government authorities take notice
Soon the news came out, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah took immediate action and ordered the inspector general of police to conduct an inquiry and submit the report to him according to the tweet from his office.
Rasheed Channa Chief Minister’s spokesperson shared that the victim didn’t contact the police formally to lodge a case.
He added, “The police are in touch with the transgender community representatives and other relevant persons to persuade them to lodge an FIR of the case so that formal legal proceedings could be initiated.”
Human Rights Commission also took the notice and said “Our Transgender Rights Expert, Reem, has been in touch with the relevant people including the victim’s guardian and our ministry will be contacting Sindh government to ensure her protection.”
Even though for what happened, the People’s Climate March was held on Sunday near Karachi’s Boat Basin where dozens of people participated in the rally. The main agenda of the rally was to attract the government authority’s attention to the impact of climate change.
According to KBT, the participants at “the march included many other groups, such as indigenous communities, people who have been dispossessed of their homes due to “green” planning agendas, among many other “victims of climate injustice in Karachi”.
The marchers including men, women, and children chanted slogans against elite areas of Karachi. Such as Bahria Town Karachi, DHA Karachi, the occupation of locals’ lands, construction of the Malir Expressway, destruction of agricultural land in Malir and Gadap, demolition of homes located on Gujjar and Orangi Nullahs, and other issues.
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