Three Transgender Women Shot Dead, Left On Roadside, Outside Pakistan’s Largest City

Featured Image: Pakistan’s transgender community activists and supporters during 2023 march (Photo by ASIF HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images)

On Sunday, the bodies of three transgender women were found on a roadside on the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan. According to ABC, they were shot and killed by gunmen who fled the scene. The victims were reportedly shot at close range and later taken to a local graveyard for burial. Sindh’s Chief Minister, Murad Ali Shah, strongly condemned the incident and called for an immediate investigation, vowing to apprehend those responsible.

Following the brutal attack, members of the transgender community protested on Sunday outside Karachi’s state-run Jinnah Hospital, where the bodies were taken for autopsy. Activists have declared plans for a countrywide protest if police do not identify the killers of the deceased – Karachi residents who earned a living by begging. 

“We have [been] currently facing [an] alarming situation [in] our region,” Gender Interactive Alliance (GIA) shared with GO. The organization works for social justice and transgender rights in Pakistan.

The group pointed to a separate knife attack two days earlier that critically wounded another transgender woman at Karachi’s Sea View Beach. Yesterday, GIA addressed both incidents on Facebook: 

“Two days ago, a Khawaja Sira was brutally attacked with knives at Sea View in an attempted murder. Today, an even more horrific incident has shaken us — three Khawaja Sira persons have been murdered and their bodies dumped in Memon Goth. These back-to-back tragedies show that the Khawaja Sira community is being systematically targeted. This is not just about individual killings — it is an attempt to terrorize and silence an entire community.” 

(Khawaja Sira refers to “third gender” community in Pakistan, historically known to include trans women, intersex and non-binary people, eunuchs and others who associate with a “transfeminine” identity. The society can be traced back to the Mughal Empire.)

GIA is led by activist Bindiya Rana, who has publicly stated that this type of violence is deeply embedded in their society. The organization is demanding immediate transparent investigations and arrest of all perpetrators; a dedicated Protection Unit for Khawaja Sira persons; strong legislation and enforcement to curb hate crimes and violence against the community; and that human rights institutions, civil society, and media raise their voices and stand with the community in solidarity.

Followers of GIA have been expressing condolences and solidarity on social media, from Toronto to Lahore:

Images via Facebook, Gender Interactive Alliance