Pakistan Elections 2018: In a first, 125 transgenders to monitor polling booths

Thirteen members of the transgender community are also contesting the upcoming general elections on various seats across the country.

Image: AFP/ File

Islamabad: In a first, around 125 members of the transgender community will work as observers at various polling stations across Pakistan to monitor the transparency and impartiality of the elections on July 25, according to a media report. Trained by the Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability, an NGO which aimed at educating people and civil societies about their democratic rights and responsibilities, the transgender poll observers will be deployed in Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi and Quetta, the Express Tribune reported today. As election observers, they will note down any violation of rights or act of discrimination against the vulnerable sections of society at polling stations. According to various studies, transgenders number at least half a million people in Pakistan. Thirteen members of the transgender community are also contesting the upcoming general elections on various seats across the country.