ISLAMABAD: In a move to ensure the provision of due rights to transgender individuals, the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) has directed the Ministry of Human Rights to establish a transgender protection centre for underage and elderly eunuchs.
The directive was issued by a two-judge bench of the court, comprising acting Chief Justice Syed Muhammad Anwer and Justice Khadim Hussain Shaikh, during a hearing on a set of petitions challenging the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018.
The court expressed dissatisfaction at a report furnished by the Ministry of Human Rights, stating that the government was “not doing enough” for the protection of the rights of transgender persons.
The chief justice further ordered the ministry officials to hold a meeting with the convener of the ministerial committee, Zamurud Khan — who also serves as the patron-in-chief of orphanage Pakistan Sweet Homes — to draft a report on the building and standard operating procedures for the proposed centre.
The secretary of the Ministry of Human Rights informed the court that a committee under the chairmanship of Khan had already been established. However, Khan stated the ministry had not yet provided a building for the protection centre, causing delays in the establishment of the centre.
The court ordered the ministry to expedite its measures and to submit a progress report along with the standard operating procedures at the next hearing on January 17.
