Police Investigate the Fatal Stabbing of Two Trans Women

Two transgender women were killed at their home by two men armed with daggers, before the pair fled the scene, police have said.

Police chief Fahim Khan confirmed the killings took place in the Pakistani city of Mardan, in the conservative northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to the officer the motive behind the attack was not currently known and police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the double murder, which is a sign of significant violence against trans people in the country.

Members of the Pakistani transgender community console each other during a rally in Peshawar, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. The rally was organized against alleged harassment and violence by local police against transgender community. The... Muhammad Sajjad/AP

In Pakistan, transgender people often face significant harassment, abuse, and violence. They are also at risk of honor killings, where family members may commit murder to punish perceived sexual or gender transgressions.

Despite some legal protections, societal attitudes and cultural norms in this South Asian country continue to put transgender people in vulnerable and dangerous situations, making their daily lives a struggle for safety and dignity.

Farzana Jan, President of the Trans Action rights group in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reported that nine transgender individuals have been killed in gun attacks in the province since January.

She said that none of the attackers have been prosecuted, often due to families pardoning perpetrators or prosecutors not taking the cases seriously. In response, the transgender community has threatened protests if attackers are not apprehended, highlighting the continued violence and impunity they face.

"We have given a three-day deadline to the police for arresting those behind the latest killings in Mardan," Jan said. "We will stage rallies if the killers of two members of our community are not arrested."

Trans woman Zeeshan Khan pictured putting makeup on in her apartment in Peshawar on Nov. 19, 2020. In September 2020, the 26-year-old lost a friend who was killed. Farzana Jan, President of the Trans Action... Hasnain Ali/picture-alliance/dpa/AP

There are no exact figures about the number of trans people in Pakistan, but Jan estimated that about 75,000 live in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Pakistani transgender community, known as khawaja sira has faced discrimination, abuse and violence in recent years, however and the community was recognized by lawmakers in Pakistan's parliament in 2018 as a "third gender" giving them the right to vote and to choose their gender in official documents.

In response, transgender leaders have established groups throughout the country to help manage the challenges they face from living in a conservative nation.

Nisara Gill, right, leads a prayer service at Pakistan's first church for transgender worshippers, in Karachi, Pakistan, Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. Transgender Pakistanis are often mocked, abused and bullied, and Christians among them are a... Fareed Khan/AP

Pastor Ghazala Shafique cofounded the First Church of Eunuchs along with other Christian members of Karachi's transgender community. A madrassa (Islamic religious school) only for members of the transgender community was also established in 2022.

The community is also present on social media with YouTube stars Sonia Naz running the YouTube channel Moorat TV and Jannat Ali sharing her content on Journey with Jannat.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press