PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday issued a notice to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on a petition seeking right to vote for the transgender community.
A two-judge bench of the high court, comprising Justice Ikramullah Khan and Justice Gzanfar Ali Khan, issued notices to the official respondents to submit comments on the petition by next hearing.
The Transaction Alliance, an alliance working for the welfare of transgender and intersex community in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), petitioned the high court seeking its directives for the electoral body to allow transgender people to exercise their right to vote and take part in the upcoming general elections like other citizens of the country.
Farzana Jan, president of Transaction Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and general secretary Arzu through their lawyer Gul Rehman Mohmand filed the petition.
They named the Chief Election Commissioner and the provincial election commissioner as respondents.
The petitioners pleaded with the court to direct the Commission to devise a strategy to include a column for transgender and intersex community in nomination forms so that they could contest elections and exercise their right to franchise.
The court was further requested to issue directives for the ECP to make necessary arrangements to prevent harassment of transgender people at polling booths.
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