Men shoot dead transgender woman, wound another in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: Unidentified men opened fire on two transgender individuals, killing one and wounding the other here in the provincial capital's Palosi neighbourhood, police confirmed on Wednesday, in what becomes the latest incident of anti-trans violence.

The wounded person was shifted to Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), police said, adding that the deceased transgender woman was identified as Gul Panra.

It is important to note here that some reports on social media have erroneously identified Gul Panra, the transgender woman, as Gul Panra, the Pushto singer — who is alive.

An investigation into the homicide underway, they stated.

Shortly after the news surfaced, people demanded action be taken against the perpetrators and the hashtag #JusticeforGulPanra shot to the top trend in Pakistan.

The president of Peshawar-based transgender rights group, TransAction Alliance Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Farzana Ilyas, demanded the killers be arrested.

"I condemn last night's incident and I demand justice," she told Geo News, referring to the shooting of Gul Panra and her friend in Peshawar.

Farzana slammed the provincial government for its failure to protect the transgender people as anti-trans violence, including incidents of rape and murder, "are rising".

"In the last four or five years, 1,500 transgender individuals have been raped and 68 murdered since 2015," the trans activist said.