LAHORE: (APP) Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah on Tuesday issued notice to federation, NADRA and Pakistan Bureau of Statistics for December 19 on a petition seeking protection of fundamental rights of transgenders.
The chief justice issued notice on a petition filed by Waqar Ali, a transgender.
Earlier, petitioner's counsel Sheraz Zika submitted that transgender community should be given due rights and should be allowed to mention their gender in national identity cards and they must be registered in the census as well.
He further submitted that transgender community had been marginalised as recent events witnessed in Sialkot where the transgender community were maltreated.
He requested the court to direct the federal government to legislate on welfare of transgender community keeping in consideration its international obligations under international conventions on civil and political rights ratified in 2010.
The chief justice observed that this was a matter of public importance as the state should do its best to secure the rights of transgender community in the light of Supreme Court earlier judgement.
The court also expressed its concern when the petitioner's counsel pointed out that graveyards' authorities did not provide space to bury a transgender and nobody was willing to perform the burial rites of transgender people.
The court directed the respondents to submit their replies by December 19 while adjourning the matter.