Action taken on transgender person's body being refused space in Peshawar morgue

PESHAWAR: National Commission for Human Rights has taken action on transgender person's body bring refused to be kept in the morgue in the city.

In a statement issued recently, the commission has sought a reply over the incident from secretary of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department. The health secretary has been given time till November 3 to submit a response.

The statement has been issued under Section 9 of National Commission for Human Rights Act 2012, which allows the commission to intervene in matters where human rights are violated.

On October 22, body of a transgender person was found lying on Warsak Road in the city.

According to the police, the body was found from the fields in Ashiqabad, within the jurisdiction of Mathra police station.

Police said the body was yet to be identified, which is why they took it in their custody and started investigation into the case.

Body of transgender person found in Peshawar

Social activist says the body was around two days old and showed signs of brutal torture

Meanwhile, speaking to Geo.tv, social rights activist Qamar Naseem said the deceased was a resident of Iqbal Plaza where some of the fellow residents identified the body as that of Arif alias Warra from Karachi, while the others said she was from Oghi, Mansehra.

Naseem said the body, which appeared to be two or three days old as it had insects crawling on it, showed signs of brutal torture.

Although the body was found earlier in the day, it was not buried until the night as the incharge of the only morgue in Peshawar, which belonged to Khyber Medical College, was not ready to take it in, saying an insect-infested body could not be kept there, Naseem said.

On the other hand, he added, the government contractor — working under the police department — who is responsible to bury unclaimed bodies also refused to carry out the final rites.

When asked, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Additional Director General of Health Dr Ayub Roz said he messaged KMC Principal Dr Noor-ul-Aman but the latter did not get back to him.

However, he added, the morgue incharge would have refused because the body had a strong stench emanating from it, which would have surrounded other bodies kept there.