Transgender woman Alesha who was shot eight times earlier this week succumbed to her wounds at Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) on Wednesday.
Earlier this year, Adnan, Sameer, Komal and Ayesha, members of the Trans Action Alliance (TAA) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were also targeted. Despite holding several protests against violence, the TAA was constantly shunned by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak whom they wanted to present their demands.
Trans Action KP’s Facebook page blames the KP government for the death of Alisha. Furthermore, Qamar Naseem, Coordinator of Blue Veins Programme said LRH authorities are to blame for Alisha’s death as they “failed to provide her with urgent care or necessary facilities as she was transgender.”
The police registered an FIR against the culprits in the Faqirabad police station and further investigations are underway.
According to Farzana Jan, President of Shemale Association of KP, both the male and female wards were reluctant to have the injured transgender so the attendants and other transvestites had to admit Alisha to a private room in Bolton Block of LRH.
Farzana said that people who were either patients or their attendants were continuously ridiculing them and laughing at them when they were going through a tragic incident.
Since January 2016, 45 transgender people were targeted in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Qamar Naseem further said that while sexual violence against the community was completely overlooked despite repeated attempts at seeking help from the local police, little had been done in terms of security.
Naseem said he had written to the Inspector General of Peshawar Police, identifying organised gangs that were involved in extorting money from the transgender community but no action was taken despite pressure from the international community.
There has been an increase in incidents of violence against transgender people in K-P, where they have been beaten and their heads have been shaved. In more extreme cases, they have been targeted and killed.
