The gruesome killings have led to mass outrage by members of the transgender community in Karachi. On September 22, protesters took to the streets to condemn the murders and threatened to stage further demonstrations.
The discovery of three transgender persons dead on a roadside in Karachi on the night of September 21 has sent shockwaves through Pakistan’s already vulnerable transgender community, igniting fear, anger, and renewed demands for protection and justice.
According to police, the bullet-ridden bodies were found in the Memon Goth area of Karachi. Two of the victims had been shot in the chest, while the third had been shot in the head. All three were discovered lying by the highway late at night.
A community leader known only by the name Zafar, prominent among transgender activists in Karachi, filed a murder case at the Memon Goth police station. The authorities have launched a manhunt for the perpetrators. However, the probe is being hindered — one official, Special Superintendent of Police Malik Abdul Khaliq Pirzada, said that no CCTV cameras were installed near where the bodies were found, limiting the potential for leads.
A post-mortem examination conducted at the Jinnah Hospital confirmed that the three victims were biologically male, though authorities have not yet released their names.
The gruesome killings have led to mass outrage by members of the transgender community in Karachi. On September 22, protesters took to the streets to condemn the murders and threatened to stage further demonstrations in front of the home of the Chief Minister of Sindh unless decisive action is taken.
Voices of Fear and Grief
Zehrish Khanzadi, a transgender rights activist and councilor from Safoora Town, described how the community is “terrified,” caught between legal recognition and everyday violence. Khanzadi said the victims lived in Bilawal Goth and Safoora Town, and often begged outside restaurants along the highway to earn a living.
“Sadly, in Pakistan, transgender people are forced to rely on begging or sex work, whether through dance, singing, or other means, just to survive,” she said.
While legal reforms have granted transgender persons certain rights, activists say that stigma, discrimination, abuse and sometimes worse remain widespread. According to rights groups, at least 56 transgender persons have been killed in Pakistan since 2022.
Khanzadi also criticized religious groups for contributing to hate against LGBTQ+ individuals and highlighted structural obstacles such as lack of safe housing, stigma in families, eviction or discrimination by landlords, and problems in registering for government welfare and quota programs. She noted that many in the community are unable to access welfare, or local government quotas, especially if their families have disowned them or they do not hold a valid identity freely.
Legal Paradoxes and Gaps
Pakistan has taken legal steps to recognize transgender persons: a Supreme Court decision recognized third gender identity, followed by a Transgender Rights Act enacted by parliament. This law gives transgender persons the right to self-identify their gender.
However, parts of the law have faced legal challenges. The Federal Sharia Court, which has authority over conformity of laws to Islamic regulations, struck down portions of the Transgender Rights Act.
On a provincial level, differences persist in the support given to transgender persons. In Punjab, for example, safe centres and adult schools have been established since 2023, providing education and stipends to transgender people. In contrast, according to Khanzadi, Sindh province has offered no comparable institutional support.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah publicly condemned the killings and vowed to arrest those responsible. Meanwhile, civil society groups have also called out what they say is systemic neglect and impunity for crimes against the transgender community. Shabbir Shafqat, a Christian rights activist and chair of World Human Rights International, condemned the murders as “a grave injustice,” and noted that while transgender people are “treated with dignity across the world, in Pakistan they continue to face discrimination.”
Wider Context: Social Marginalisation and Violence
Though transgender people are recognized legally and have constitutional protections in many respects, many still live on the margins, facing severe social exclusion. Community members report being disowned by families, refused housing, denied work, and subject to harassment and violence.
The lack of safety, the absence of basic infrastructure – such as safe shelters – and the weak enforcement of legal protections magnify the risk. Activists urge that legal recognition must be matched by concrete social and institutional support.
For many transgender persons, especially those who are poor, lacking funds, or isolated from families, the only means of survival are in informal sectors: begging, sex work, performance. These livelihoods themselves expose them regularly to danger.
What remains to be seen is whether the promised police investigations will lead to arrests, and whether the public outcry will force authorities to close the gap between law and protection on the ground.
Karachi’s transgender community has warned that if no meaningful action is taken, more protests will follow. Advocates say the government needs to commit not only to arresting the perpetrators of this recent crime, but to reforming systems – welfare, housing, law enforcement training, public awareness – that would make such crimes less likely.
