Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Human Rights Commission (HRC) on Saturday presented a draft bill in Senate’s Standing Committee on Human Rights that aims to grant various rights to transgender persons in the country.

Under the proposed bill, the neglected and suppressed community will be awarded with basic rights, civil rights, inheritance rights and a separate gender block on computerised national identity cards (CNIC).

Senator Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini chaired the meeting of the committee. The commission chairman deplored the inhuman behaviour of society towards transgender community. Senator Farhatullha Babar stressed the need to lodge cases against those parents who abandoned their children.

While responding to death of transvestites in Saudi Arabia, officials of Foreign Ministry said they had written two letters to Saudi officials, but response had been received yet.

Five more Pakistani transgender were still being held in a Saudi jail.

Pakistan’s Embassy has not sent any official to meet the five detained Pakistani transgender persons. They have also not been provided any legal assistance.

Moreover, the Senate body unanimously adopted resolution against Mashal Khan’s lynching, demanding stern action against culprits. The resolution stressed to take steps to bar the wrong use of blasphemy laws.

The committee’s members also criticised the Balochistan chief secretary for failing to help flood victims.