A transgender Sobia Khan has approached the Peshawar High Court (PHC), highlighting the issue of the non-allocation of seats for transgender individuals in elections.
Sobia Khan is running for PK-81. Sobia Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s first transgender radio jockey, runs as an independent candidate, stressing her dedication to advocating for women’s and children’s rights.
While another transgender Nayab Ali has been contesting NA-47 Islamabad.
It is pertinent to note that in the 2018 elections, Maria—transgender candidate—ran independently in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, securing 536 votes and surpassing the vote counts of female candidates.
Sobia Khan, advocating for the rights of transgender, has submitted candidacy papers as an independent candidate from constituency PK-81.
The petition argued that since transgender have the right to vote, it is imperative that they also have the right to contest elections.
She argued the importance of transgender representation in the Assembly, the petition underscores the need for reserved seats for this community, akin to the provisions made for minorities and women.
The plea sought to address the current gap in political representation and aims to ensure that the transgender community has a platform to actively participate in the democratic process. As the issue is brought before the Peshawar High Court, it signals a potential milestone in advocating for the political rights and inclusion of transgender in electoral processes.
