ISLAMABAD: Key stakeholders, including Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz, Task Force on Transgender Chairman Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi and National Commissioner for Children Syeda Viquarun Nisa, Wednesday discussed proposed legislation for transgender people in parliament. They also addressed a seminar, which was organised by the Wafaqi Mohtasib. According to the Mohtasib, this is first time in the history of Pakistan that Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat has taken initiatives for elimination of child labour through a pilot project and subsequently drafted legislation for elimination of child labour and sent it to parliament for endorsement. “Besides, the office has also taken interest in the legislative reforms for protection and welfare of transgender people and appointed the commissioner for transgender for early redressal of their issues as well as facilitated transgender community in interacting with parliament and government institutions for their cause,” it added. Dr Qibla Ayaz said Article 35 of the constitution of Pakistan clearly ensures rights of every member of the society, including transgender people. “Transgender are part of society and have equal rights but there is a dire need of behavioural change in the society,” he said, adding that discriminatory behaviour with transgender people would be unethical and against the values of Islam. He added that they want to raise the issues of this community in mosques so that people at grassroots level should give them due respect and consider them a valuable member of the society. Addressing the meeting, Senator Rubina Khalid, who is heading a committee to resolve issues of transgender community and compile recommendations to address their grievances, recommended that medical test should not be declared mandatory for the identity of transgender. She opined that medical test would be a discrimination and exploitation with the transgender community. She added that for inheritance issues, most of the transgender declare themselves females so if they are surrendering their share it should not be a matter of concern. Published in Daily Times, January 18th 2018.