October 22, 2024
By Rehan Piracha
LAHORE
Police have arrested three suspects in connection with the brutal murder of of two transgender persons in the Mardan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The killings raised the murder toll of transgender persons in the province to 10 this year.
According to the first information registered with Mardan City Police Station on October 21, three unidentified assailants came to the house of the transgender persons and attacked occupants with sharp-edged weapons. The assailants stabbed to death transgender Sabir alias Nazka and Salman alias Salmanu and fled the scene. Another occupant Arshad alias Shawki saved himself by hiding in the bathroom.
The incident happened in an upper-storey house near the Police Lines locality in Mardan. “One of the assailants first entered the house posing as a client saying he wanted to arrange a musical show with the transgenders,” Anmol Rani, a focal person of the transgender community told Voicepk.net on the phone from Mardan. Later, two other unidentified also barged into the house and started stabbing both transgender persons with sword-like weapons, she said, adding other occupants of the house hid themselves in the bathroom to save their lives. The slain transgender persons were laid to rest in the city on October 22.
A statement from Mardan police stated a special operation team was constituted to investigate and arrest the suspects under the orders of District Police Officer Mardan Zahoor Babar Afridi. The police team used advanced forensic methods and human intelligence to identify and apprehend the suspects. The accused, Ziauddin, Muhammad Rehman, and Adnan Khan, confessed to their crime, and the motorcycle and weapon used in the killings were recovered, police said. DPO Mardan Zahoor Babar Afridi praised the efficiency and promptness of the police team, emphasizing the importance of swift action in safeguarding the community. Further investigation is ongoing, and the suspects will be subjected to full legal proceedings, police said.
Arzoo Khan, head of the transgender community in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, told Voicepk.net that the double murder has brought the toll of transgender persons killed in violence-related incidents to 10 this year. According to the database maintained by the transgender community, at least 140 transgender persons have been killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since 2015, she added. “This is just a senseless act of violence and yet another painful reminder of the extreme cruelty faced by the transgender community in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” she added.
Arzoo Khan urged the authorities to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice. The transgender persons are human beings and citizens of the state, the government has the responsibility to ensure their safety in society, she added. “It’s time to stand up against this ongoing brutality and work towards ensuring the safety and dignity of every transgender person.”
Arzoo Khan, who is also the Executive Director of Manzil Foundation, said her foundation has also constituted a Vigilance Violence Group to raise awareness about assaults on the transgender community in the province. In a recent meeting with senior police officials, the members of the transgender community and activists called for the establishment of Tahafuz Centers in Peshawar, dedicated to providing safety and support for the transgender community.