News Analysis |
Deputy Commissioner Umar Jahangir has established facilitation centres for transgender communities in three district of Rawalpindi division.
Social Welfare Department Director Muhammad Aslam, Deputy Director Nabila Malik, and NADRA officials were attending.
These developments have come after Chief Justice Saqib Nisar took notice of non-issuance of computerized national Identity cards to transgender Pakistani’s.
The transgender persons will be able to receive their identity cards from these newly established centres. The centre has been established in Jhelum, Chakwal and Attock districts. Seven focal persons have also been designated at these facilitation centre.
Read more: Why Pakistan’s first-ever Transgender School won’t be enough
Department of Social Welfare Rawalpindi Deputy Director Nabila Malik, Mirza Ikram from Attock and Tanveer Safdar from Jhelum have been appointed as administrators, whereas, Muhammad Nawaz from Rawalpindi, Major Sanatzar from Jhelum, Chaudhry Wajid Hussain , Sohail Nasir and Usman Khalid have been nominated as members.
The deputy commissioner has directed the social welfare department staff to take all possible measures to facilitate the transgender community in receiving their identity cards.
Umar Jahangir said, “Transgender persons are part of our society and providing every possible facility to them is our mission.”
He further said, provision of identity card is their most basic right. He asked the transgender community to approach these facilitation centres and receive their ID cards.
The transgender persons will be able to receive their identity cards from these newly established centres.
He said this while chairing a high level meeting in connection with issuance of identity cards to the transgender persons. Social Welfare Department Director Muhammad Aslam, Deputy Director Nabila Malik, and NADRA officials were attending.
Muhammad Aslam informed the deputy commissioner that the welfare department has nominated focal persons for three districts and the transgender community can approach them in case they face any problems in attaining identity cards.
Read more: Census 2017: Over 10,000 transgender population in Pakistan
Pakistan legally recognised a third sex in 2009, allowing transgender people to get identity cards. This year, the National Assembly approved the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, guaranteeing them basic rights.