PESHAWAR: An HIV-positive transgender person, who was under treatment in a hospital in Peshawar, breathed his last today.
Dewani was forced to live on the road near a garbage dump in Dallazak area, after being diagnosed with HIV positive. But after a private tv channel aired news of his condition, she was admitted in Hayatabad Medical Complex for treatment on Thursday.
Doctors said Dewani died today as her condition had deteriorated.
According to Qamar Nasim, co-founder of Blue Veins, “the family, gurus and friends of Dewani had refused to receive her dead body. They also refused to make her final arrangements. However, the President of Trans Action, Farzana Jan, later received the body and announced to make arrangements for funeral and janaza.”
He further said, “No alim was ready to recite her Namaz e Janaza as they were not ready to come near her. Some even refused to give her the last bath-ghusal, because they were afraid of catching HIV. There were some transgender clerics who came forward and said that the barrier has been broken, we will always be available for our sisters.”
Dewani’s janaza was held on GT road in midafternoon, which is the second one their history, last time Alisha’s Janaza was held in broad day light.
The patient was denied treatment in government-run hospitals for months.
Reports said Dewani was briefly hospitalized in Hayatabad Medical Complex where he not provided with any assistance as she was abandoned by all care providers, eventually she left the medical facility and lived on streets.
The transgender community is one of the most persecuted and marginalized sections of the society in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where there has been an increase in incidents of violence.
On May 2016, a transgender activist Alesha died as she failed to get urgent medical aid after being shot in Peshawar.
Alesha was the Peshawar district coordinator at Trans Action Alliance Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Following the attack, Alesha was rushed to Lady Reading Hospital. However, the hospital authorities could not decide where to place her, thereby delaying the urgent medical care she needed.
The matter came under the notice of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, who visited Alesha at the hospital and directed the hospital authorities to place her in a private room. However, Alesha’s condition continued to deteriorate, killing her eventually.