Trigger warning: discussion of rape, violence towards trans communities
Trans activist and policy researcher Dr. Mehrub Moiz Awan made national headlines back in September when he exposed the Beela’s, group of men who attack and gang rape khwajasira’s and plan to kidnap them from events where they are present. Dr. Mehrub had made a public call for the government to extend solidarity towards trans communities by holding the attackers accountable and implementing policies that ensure that trans people are treated like equal citizens of the country.
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Yesterday, Dr. Mehrub revealed that after multiple visits to the Sindh Police, they have still refused to take action to arrest her attackers, and are consistently using excuses to keep delay the arrest.
Painfully single transgender women staring down her still unarrested attacker in the High Court in Karachi and wondering what miracles must happen for Sindh Police to start working after hearing “hum kesay karain arrest ap k attacker hamaray pass tou diesel k pesay b nai hotay” pic.twitter.com/nq6xks5Pbn
— Mehrub Moiz Awan (@TMItalks) May 18, 2022
Dr. Mehrub further exposed how the police authorities use tactics like this to prevent helping transwomen when they are attacked or harassed, and also involved with groups like the Beelas by acting as their informants, or they simply do not care about the protection and well-being of trans-communities
A huge round of applause for Sindh Police and the many officers there who follow me and fellow activists and make sure that we give brilliant statements to the media about them and then not arrest anyone despite the bails having been cancelled since 10th Jan
— Mehrub Moiz Awan (@TMItalks) May 18, 2022
This is a classic example of what all trans activists had been telling me already: either the police works in collusion with beelas because they’re their informants, or the police simply doesn’t care. I think both are simultaneously true.
— Mehrub Moiz Awan (@TMItalks) May 18, 2022
Dr Mehrub had also shared the case of another trans woman Sohana who had been attacked by Beelas, and had to get her leg amputated after she wasn’t taken to the hospital on time. She revealed that this case was another point of proof that the police are completely complicit in the violence towards trans communities, and are the ones who refuse to take the rise of trans violence seriously.
The police is a party to transphobia in Pakistan.
Police doesn’t arrest beelas because they’re police’s informants mostly and the police doesn’t at all care about the trans community. At all.
The police IS the problem.
10/10 they’ll ruin this case’s investigation deliberately. https://t.co/CnSSPLmaBM— Mehrub Moiz Awan (@TMItalks) May 19, 2022
