Police have arrested a man after he threatened transgender activist Shahzadi Rai with an acid attack outside her house in Gulistan-e-Johar, Karachi.
Sindh Information Department shared the development on their Twitter handle as well, saying provincial minister Sharjeel Inam Memon took notice of the incident.
Earlier, Shahzadi Rai had expressed concerns over her safety, while sharing a video of a man on social media, reportedly threatening the transgender activist with an acid attack.
She said this is the fourth time “these clerics” are showing up at her house, harassing her and threatening her with an acid attack.
“I am very much worried for my safety,” she added.
After the video started making rounds on social media, provincial minister Sharjeel Inam Memon took notice of the incident and assured that the activist would be provided with full security.
Shahrah-E-Faisal Police Station had registered a First Information Report (FIR) on Shahzadi Rai’s complaint.
The transgender community in Pakistan faces a number of legal and social issues, including incidents of violence and discrimination against members.
Earlier, the Senate Committee on Human Rights recommended substituting the word “transgender” with “khunsa (intersex)” in the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018.
Human rights defenders and especially transgender rights activists decried the move as exclusionary.
The progressive Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2018 accords transgender citizens the right to self-identify. However, recently the bill has faced opposition from extremist elements in the country, who consider it to be “un-Islamic”.
