Bodies of Three Transgender People Discovered in Karachi

Karachi: Police in Pakistan say they have found the bodies of three transgender people on a roadside in the southern city of Karachi, in the latest violence against the community. They were shot dead by unidentified assailants and their bodies discovered shortly after midnight on Sunday in the Memon Goth area of Karachi, police said.

According to BBC, “The bullet-riddled bodies of three transgender women were found on a highway,” city police official Javed Ahmed Abro told the AFP news agency. This tragic incident highlights the ongoing challenges faced by the transgender community in Pakistan, despite legislative attempts to support their rights.

In 2018, Pakistan’s Senate voted to support a bill protecting the rights of transgender people, and allowing them to determine their own gender identity. The Transgender Rights Act was praised by many globally, but key sections were later revoked by a sharia court, undermining the protections it initially offered.

Estimates suggest there are about half a million transgender citizens in the country, and they face continued social exclusion and abuse. A 2023 report in The Lancet journal noted that 90% of transgender people in Pakistan face physical assaults, underscoring the pervasive violence and discrimination they endure.