Live in dirt and fear

Published June 8, 2025

In Pakistan, the transient society has long fought for recognition, protection and basic human rights, including the right to identification, education, employment and housing. Until date, however, non-binary people remain deprived of worthy way of life.

All over the country, the transient society is often seen with a suspicion. While some associate them with immoral or obscene activities, others accuse them of indulging in sex work. Thanks to such prejudice, transking persons seeking access to secure housing are refused, either open by landlords or are given living areas in extremely strict conditions, including exorbitant rent.

Although the transient persons (protection of rights), 2018 claim to give equal rights to transking people, the reality of Earth is quite the opposite. With a poor implementation of laws, police indifferent and difficulty deprive access to the legal system of transking people their legal rights, especially in cases where they are postponed or harassed by tenants and neighbors. The majority have no effective funds for legal complaint.

According to the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissions (OHCHR), the transsexual community in Pakistan stands towards widespread discrimination and stigma in access to housing, health, education, employment and even bathroom facilities. This is largely attributed to a lack of recognition of their gender identity.

Culture of exclusion

Even today, the transient community has continued to be the back of jokes in comedy shows, stage performance and even colloquial humor. While outgoing appeared harmless, such condescending attitudes inform ideas that not only seek to objectify and othersize non-binary people, but also serve to hidden to justify their abuse.

Such abuse is a major reason why many transient people are struggling to gain access to safe and affordable housing across the country. Take the case of Kushboo, a Lahore transwoman who had hoped to find its own place. “I was able to get an apartment in the rent in the model city. After presenting several references and agreeing to pay twice as large as the rent, my partner and I moved to our new home. Shared Khushbo.

Similarly, Aleena Ahmed, a transwoman from Karachi, revealed that since childhood she had been subjected to renewable bullying and ridicule, which forced her to leave her home and start living in a joint event with other transcend people. “When we want to rent a flat, landlords in decent residential areas are often reluctant as they fear damage to their reputation. Even if a landlord agrees to rent a flat, neighbors often begin to spread negative rumors about us. As a result, many transgender people who were forced to live in slums,” complained Aleena, who further revealed that she and her friends paid a monthly rental. Provis.

Sundria Begum, the leader of a transsexual society in Karachi, emphasized the need for the government to give decent housing arrangements for transcend people. “Even in low-income areas such as Mehmoodabad, Akhtar Colony, the slum of Clifton and Shireen Jinnah Colony, transcend people often face difficulties in finding individual homes and thus they live together in rented houses, apartments or parts.

“In some cases, landlords consciously charge higher rents for transgender people. Even if a transgender person succeeds in settling in an area, other residents submit their presence. They are harassed or put under moral pressure to leave the area. Sometimes such a behavior takes the form of violence or collective social boycotts,” added Zanaya Chaudhary, a trans -rights activist.

Open north in Peshawar, Mahi Yellow, confirmed a transwoman de discriminatory rents that many landlords demanded by trans -camps. “A house rented to the locals for RS10,000 is not available to transgender people for less than the RS30,000. Transmanders are investing heavily in decorating their homes, including installation of cabinets, woodwork and even makeup rooms. With RS30,000 you rent except for electricity and gas bills and others exposed, how should we survive?” Asked yellow.

Manzoor, a property dealer from Peshawar’s inner city revealed that due to the recent economic downturn, the real estate company had fallen. “With Afghan refugees returning to their homeland, there is little business, and therefore we are now dependent on commission from transient clients to maintain our livelihood. It is true that we charge transking people who twice as high the rent because local residents object to our renting home.

Similarly, a real estate agent who operates in Liaquatabad, Express Pakinomist, told that hiring houses or apartments to members of the transcend society challenged primarily due to objections and complaints from neighbors. “In addition, transient citizens often lack identification documents, making police verification difficult,” the agent noted.

Identification, education and employment

While the cutting of attitudes may partially explain complications in access to secure housing, the broader question of the social exclusion of the transcends society has its roots in the difficulties of obtaining legal identification documents, education and employment.

During various discussions with transgender people across the country, the correspondents reported that many members of the other pretty did not even have their national identity cards, not to mention other legal documents required to rent a house. Due to the lack of necessary documentation for leases or electricity and gas connections, exposed many difficulties in getting accommodation.

Even when some trans people were able to get their CNICs, many also avoided identifying their gender as “x” on their ID cards, mainly by fear, family pressure and social stigma. In an extreme incident, a transwoman from Charsadda was murdered by her family after she added the “X” gender to her CNIC.

By reflecting on such dangers, a transwoman that moved from Karachi to Peshawar revealed that her parents let her perform on features and even live separately. But when it came to mention “X” as my gender on my cnic, my family opened openly when they feared people would feel me as a ‘hijra’. That’s why I couldn’t get my ID card. If I get the card I lose my family; If I don’t, the government refuses to offer me any support, ”she lamented.

The abandonment of transgender’s situation, Mahi Yellow, who lives in a rented house in Peshawar’s inner city, remembered his experience with house hunting, societal attitudes and property owners. “Every human being is looking for peace, and for that you need a small, private home. With that thought I rented a house.

The expansion of the problem felt Zanaya Chaudhary that lack of access to good education and stable employment also prevented many transgender people from renting decent living spaces. “Most transient people are unable to earn a steady income due to lack of education, employment and skills. Due to financial restrictions, they cannot afford to live in safe occasions,” said Chaudhary, who himself never faced any difficulties in renting an apartment since they because of her education, her lifestyle and speech were different from most transwomen.

Sania Abbasi, a transwoman who works as a cosmetologist, also supported Chaudhary’s point. “Most of the transgender people have trouble getting a single apartment or house on rent because of their lifestyle and habits. Since I work as a cosmetologist, I have not been exposed to much trouble finding a decent accommodation,” shared Abbasi, who has lived in a single apartment in a Posh area in Lahore since many years.

At the same time as Abbasi, Dr. Nasreen Aslam Shah, former professor at the University of Karachis Department of Social Work, that although the transient community was part of society, they often lacked jobs or skills and forced many to beg. “That is why the government should initiate housing and welfare programs to tackle their problems,” Dr. Shah.

Between illness and death

As a result of their systemic exclusion, marginalization, which faces the transient society, can quickly escalate from a simple rejection of housing to a direct threat of violence, forcing many to live their lives in dirt and fear.

Express Pakinomist talked to different real estate transactions across three areas of Peshawar, where the transcend community is concentrated. Areas such as Dilzak Road, Gulbahar and Yakatoot have about 20 seats, where trans -fun individuals live in shared rooms and pay rent between RS10,000 to RS15,000 for a single room.

A transsexual resident of such a plaza that was revealed on condition of anonymity that the majority of living areas occupied by the transking society were dirty, unhygiary and violated basic health standards. “These crowded and dark spaces contribute to the spread of serious illnesses such as hepatitis, AIDS and tuberculosis,” the resident revealed.

According to Farzana Khan, President of the Transgender Association KP, only six to 10 percent of the transient community lives alone in a rented house where the majority live in groups of six to eight in a rental housing. “Transgender people who are not even provided help when it comes to registering a rental dwelling. Landlords only agree to rent one place if they are offered triple the ordinary rent. In rural areas, if a transgender person tries to rent a house, the whole village and the local council (panchayat) intervene.

While uncertain living arrangements are at risk of transforming into diseases of diseases, an alarming culture adds to targeted violence against the transcend society only to their marginalization. For example, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has registered the highest number of transgender killings in the country in the last few years. According to the Transgender Association of KP, 126 transient individuals have been murdered in the province for the past five years, while more than a thousand others have been victims of pistold. Unfortunately, none of the perpetrators have received a major punishment.

K-PP’s Minister of Social Welfare, Qasim Ali Shah, admitted that the demands of the transcend society were valid. “Unless transking individuals are officially registered, it would be difficult to allocate quotas and deliver funds to them in the same way as other communities,” SHAH said, talking about KP, where only 163 trans people are registered.

According to information obtained by the Express Pakinomist, over the last 13 years of the PTI government, very few of the promises made to the transient society, including provisions for a separate hospital department and beds, were a gift fund and special desks at police stations. Therefore, the transient society in KP feels alienated not only by society, but also by the government and has announced a sit-in-protest in front of the KP assembly in the coming days.

On the other hand, the Punjab government has started the Apni Chhat APNA Ghar program, where citizens get loans of up to RS1.5 million to build a house. This loan must be repaid in five to seven years. “Any citizen of Punjab, including transgender people, can take out a loan to build their own house under this scheme,” said a spokesman for Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency.

Similarly, adviser to Chief Minister of Sindh, Waqar Mehdi, insured that the government was working to solve the problems facing the transcend society.