Abbottabad: Khwaja Sira community protests murder, police inaction

ABBOTTABAD: The Khwaja Sira community staged a protest outside Mirpur Police Station, blocking the Mansehra highway for hours after officers initially refused to register an FIR for the murder of transgender woman Zeebi, who was shot dead at a wedding ceremony.

According to local sources, unidentified assailants opened fire on Zeebi and a companion late Thursday night at a wedding on Nari Road, critically injuring the latter. Witnesses alleged the attack targeted the victims due to their gender identity.

Protesters surrounded the police station, chanting slogans against law enforcement. “They murdered Zeebi in cold blood, and now police won’t even file a case!” one demonstrator shouted. The blockade paralysed traffic for hours, stranding thousands before senior officers intervened to register the FIR.

According to more details in the press release issued by police authorities, the suspect in last night’s fatal shooting of a transgender individual at a wedding ceremony in Sir Syed Colony has been arrested. The accused, Malik Taufeeq Sarraf, opened fire during the event, targeting Zeebi, a transgender person from Bhirah (Sargodha), and their companion Beenish, a resident of Lahore. The attack resulted in Zeebi’s immediate death, while Beenish sustained critical injuries.

The Mirpur Police acted ‘promptly’, apprehending the suspect and registering a case based on Beenish’s testimony. The victim’s body has been handed over to the family after a postmortem. Preliminary investigations reveal that the accused and the victim had been friends for some time, with tensions arising over photographs of the suspect found on the victim’s mobile phone.

Transgender community attacks police station for second time in two days

Saima Shaukat of Haripur’s Shemale Association condemned the killing as “state-sanctioned neglect,” while rights advocate Shoaib Zaman called it symptomatic of systemic discrimination. “From police stations to courtrooms, transgender citizens face institutionalised bias,” Zaman told reporters, citing poor implementation of the 2018 Transgender Protection Act.

The incident marks the latest violence against Pakistan’s transgender community, which reports over 70 murders since 2015 with minimal convictions. Despite Supreme Court directives for equal protection, rights groups note persistent police reluctance to investigate crimes against gender minorities.

Local authorities confirmed the suspect remains in custody as investigations continue.