It is said that transgender people are the most precious people to God.

“The Prophet of Islam treated transgenders with respect, prohibited their ill-treatment, and had good things to say about spiritually-inclined transgender. Believing that transgender are dearer to God, some Muslim rulers appointed them as intercessors in royal palaces, including those of the Ottoman and the Mughal.” - Huffington Post

Then why should we not respect them and give them their rights?

On Sunday night Alisha a transgender activist was shot eight times and taken to the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar. Nothing has changed in the last few months, and she was treated the same way Adnan another transgender had been treated in the hospital.

Adnan too had been shot; both were taken to LRH; both were not given proper attention by the staff; both were insulted, laughed at, verbally abused and harassed; both were a target of hatred.

The only difference is that Adnan survived and Alisha died yesterday.

Transgender friends who accompanied both Alisha and Adnan to the hospital were asked how their sexual system worked. They were asked their price for one night as sex workers and entertainers. Their bodies were discussed. They were asked to entertain the care-givers first. Cell numbers were asked. None of the transgender folks felt safe in staying back at the hospital for the night.

Is this what the staff is supposed to do in a hospital? Their only responsibility is saving lives, which they forgot.

The transgender community is getting threatening calls from the gang of extortionists who shot and killed Alisha to pay money. The gang is trying to force them to make porn videos or they will be killed. How is all this justifiable for anyone?

Despite all these threats, Alisha’s janaza was a breakthrough in the old traditions due to Qamar Naseem’s efforts. Transgender folks usually bury their dead in the darkness of the night because society does not accept them in the same graveyard. But Alisha’s janaza was held in the day time and only Mian Iftikhar Hussain from Awami National Party was in attendance. No one from the KP government showed up – the KP PTI government failed its people.

I wonder if a politician was in Adnan or Alishah’s place, would he be treated in the same way? They would never even set their foot in a Pakistani hospital to begin with. They will be scooped up in planes from their homes and taken abroad, to have luxurious treatments. You know why? Because they are not kids of lesser God. We are, and the trans people especially are.

Imran Khan is always aware of what is happening in other political parties, in all provinces, in other countries, but has no clue as to what is happening in KP. You can keep harping about change as much as you like, but it is of no use if you don’t start from the area under your jurisdiction.

The trans people have been demanding security for the last many months. Applications were written, complaints were made to the police, but threats did not end, nor their killings.

They are killed only because they have stood up for their rights. They are not ready to sell their bodies to earn a living. They want a decent livelihood. Is this their fault? Why should they or anyone lower than our politicians’ ‘standard’ not be given proper care and rights?

Those who die due to the corrupt system of Pakistan hardly get a burial on time. Family and friends try to make one last attempt to get justice for the deceased, by placing their beloved’s body on the roads and protesting. Why can’t they get justice before they breathe their last breath?

As much as I hate to say this but I have heard this from many poor people: why don’t the kids of the politics die so they know how we feel… Do they realize what this means? Politicians can’t answer these questions, because these are not part of the ‘script’. No ‘umpires’ will help them either.

The naïve people of Islamic Republic of Pakistan say, “No one is being killed on the basis of their religion or identity in Pakistan. It’s a conspiracy against us.” No one is conspiring against Pakistan accept us. We make tall claims of being an Islamic republic and we want democracy in Pakistan, but we are still stuck in the period of ‘jahaalia.’

To arouse emotions we chant slogans, recall Jinnah’s speeches and sing Iqbal’s poetry so often, but there is no practicality in it. We claim of making it Jinnah’s Pakistan someday, but how? People did not allow Alisha to be treated in the same ward or in the ICU despite being critically injured; why?

Trans people are called on functions for ‘entertainment’ but when they need acceptance in the society we can’t give it to them.

When majority of the people are not ready to live with the minorities then differences have no limits and this goes to the extent of killing. Be it Shia, Christian, Ahmadi, Hindu, or transgender all are on the hit list of those who disagree with them.

an Ahmadi was killed yesterday in Karachi as well, but who cares?

When the trans people are born, or later when the physical changes start showing up, their families throw them away or hand them over to transgender communities.

Just imagine what he/she has to goes through in life. They don’t understand what is happening with their bodies and why they are different from other children. They are pushed into a place where they know no one. They have to start adopting a new lifestyle, make their own identity. Their families never come back for them because they are ashamed of their existence.

Is that fair? And then we are ordered from the Divine that parents should be respected.

Javed Ahmed Ghamdi, an Islamic scholar, once asked his audience in a program if they were ready to accept women from the red light area as their wives, if they are so against their work; literally no one answered.

Similar silence will be heard, or rather a rude insulting answer would be received, if you ask anyone this in your daily life, but no one will accept the fact that these places exist only because of sexually frustrated people and those who are hungry for money. Give them an alternate way of life and they will accept it with open arms.

A number of militaries in the world have slots for transgender folk’s intake; they get jobs in shops, run their own businesses and more. Will we give them the freedom to do so?

They are the most peace loving people you meet. Always with a smile and prayer for you, but do you have the heart to be so generous. After Alisha’s death I doubt it.

People ask why we are raising voices for them. Why should we not? Are they not Pakistanis? Are they not humans? Are they not of the same flesh and blood as we are?

They did not choose to be what they are, God made them that way. But that does mean they should be killed. If given their due rights they can earn a respectable living. But you know what, till now they have not been even given their National Identity Cards. They have no identity in Pakistan.

You can feel the pain for Palestinians, Kashmiris, Indian Muslims etc., but have no idea what people within Pakistan are going through. No matter what DSLR camera you use to take pictures of this ‘Land of the Pure’, our ugly face will always show up in them. No one is Pakistan’s enemy except us.