TRANSGENDER PERSON SHOT IN PAKISTAN FOR RESISTING RAPE

ISLAMABAD: A transgender person is fighting for life in Khyber Pakhtunkwa province of northwest Pakistan, after being shot multiple times for resisting rape, the latest in a string of attacks against members of the community in the region.

The victim was shot several times by a group of men who barged into the transgender person’s home in Mansehra on Monday and demanded sexual favours. Witnesses said the victim refused to comply, triggering a scuffle and the shooting. Police officials said the victim was in a critical condition. The attackers managed to escape while the victim was taken to King Abdullah Hospital for emergency treatment. The victim was later shifted to Ayub Medical Complex in Abbottabad.

The shooting sparked unrest among the community, which took to the streets to condemn the attempted murder and criticised police for not providing security.

The Shemale Association organised a rally that made its way from Mansehra Press Club to the city police station. The rally was led by the association’s president, Maria Khan, and general secretary Nadra Khan.

Maria Khan told reporters that after another incident in Peshawar, where a leading transgender activist was shot multiple times over a dispute, the community was feeling increasingly unsafe.

She said police was not acknowledging the danger that transgender people face in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where attacks on the community have increased in recent weeks.