The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has appointed two transgender persons to its City Council, and they took oath Wednesday. There is considerable excitement on Twitter, with users posting cheerful messages, as the development comes less than a month after Pakistan’s Federal Shariat Court struck down a law that aimed to protect transgender people’s rights, leading to widespread disappointment. Shahzadi Rai and Chandni Shah have become the first transgender members of the KMC City Council, Dawn reported.
The Shariat court had last month struck down the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2018, declaring that certain sections of the act were against the injunctions of the Holy Quran and Sunnah, according to a May 20 Dawn report.
According to the news publication, Rai is a violence case manager at the Gender Interactive Alliance, while Shah is a prominent advocate for transgender rights.
In January, the report said, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah during a meeting of the provincial cabinet approved the creation of two local council seats reserved for transgender people.
"The hard work and dedication of our team have finally paid off - we are thrilled to announce the oath-taking ceremony for our achievements! It's an honor to have been entrusted to serve the community and work towards a more equitable and inclusive society,” Rai said in a tweet.
The selection of the two transgender members is being seen as a big moment in the history of Pakistan where the community had remained largely underrepresented.
Check out some of the reactions on Twitter:
Who Are Shahzadi Rai And Chandni Shah?
A popular transgender individual, Shehzadi Rai was nominated for the post by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). She has been a political activist for the legislative rights of the Khwajasira community in Pakistan, according to the Dawn report cited above.
Prominent transwoman Chandni Shah, previously Muhammad Junaid, is an advocate for transgender rights. She is affiliated with the religious political party, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), which finalised her name for the city council membership.
According to a Geo News report, Shah has clarified that though she is associated with JI, she was not an “ideological member” of the party. She has been working closely with the party, and towards raising awareness about transgender rights, the report said, adding that her focus will be to raise pertinent issues related to the community and work towards a “more inclusive and equitable future” for Karachi.