Posters calling for 'beheading' transwomen surface in Karachi

Hateful posters lending credence to the idea of 'beheading' transwomen have surfaced in the city.

The posters argue that the 'transgenders are cursed by Allah and would have been beheaded if they had been in the holy land of Saudi Arabia.'

The posters that recently appeared at a mall on Tariq Road, one of the city's most vibrant shopping centres, have created an air of fear amongst the transgender community.

The people around the mall said that the number of transgender persons who frequented the area- mainly asking for money- has significantly declined after the emergence of the posters.

The posters say, "transgender persons are cursed by Allah' but are safe in Pakistan because of its 'weak and lethargic' law. If they had been in Saudi Arabia, their heads would have been cut off," and the words are given as a reference to some 'Pakistan High Court' while there is no such institution in the country, reports the Express Tribune.

A security guard of the mall, Rabi Centre, present on duty said, "I think some locals have put them and they are right in doing so because they (transwomen) are not khawaja sira in reality but men pretending to be women," he says.

A shopkeeper said the message written on the posters is right, adding these 'fake' transgender persons should not be allowed to create nuisance in the malls.

"They touch women, hold their arms and beg for money, which should not be allowed at all. They are all actually men and, yes, if they had been in the holy land of Saudi Arabia, they would have been slaughtered as per the rule," he said.

Enraged by the message in the posters, transrights activist Kami Sid, who raised the issue on social media, said that law enforcers should immediately start investigating into the matter and act against the people behind it.

Kami argues that since the community is not given jobs on merit or quota, many of its members have to beg to 'earn their bread and butter'.

A police official said that they will take action against the culprit adding that if any transgender person registers a complaint against miscreants harassing them, stern action will be taken.