LAHORE: Jhelum police arrested two transgender persons on Wednesday after they were accused of selling members of the district’s transgender community.
A first information report (FIR), on the complaint of Mohammad Nadim alias Neelam, was lodged under Section 370 of the Pakistan Penal Code (buying or disposing of any person as a slave), in Dina police station of the Jhelum district. Neelam alleged that a transgender person called Haji Anwar had sold her off for Rs1 million and that she had no information about the deal.
She said that she had found out about the matter from a video sent to a WhatsApp group in which a transgender person, whom she identified as Anwar, was seen signing a “fake stamp paper issued from the Jhelum kuchehri” with her name on it. Other transgenders could be seen in the video as well, she said.
Neelam further stated that she was being threatened and harassed by thugs that were hired by a group of transgender people who did not belong to the Jhelum community. She said that the men came to her house every other day and cursed her and tried to kidnap her. According to Neelum, the group was involved in the trading of several transgender persons who were residents of Jhelum including Mohammad Arshad Kiyani alias Nagayen, who was sold recently.
She urged the police to register a case against the group and take action to ensure the protection of the transgender community.
