According to details, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has presented a bill in the provincial assembly for establishing an Rs. 50 million endowment fund for the welfare of the transgender community in the province.
The bill was tabled by the minister for Social Welfare and Special Education, Anwar Zeb Khan during Monday’s session, which was chaired by Deputy Speaker Mahmood Jan.
The bill, titled ‘Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Transgender Persons Welfare Endowment Fund Act, 2022’, maintains that the fund will be established with an initial capital of Rs. 50 million.
“The fund may, from time to time, be credited with the government grants, grants from philanthropists, non-governmental organizations, and any other organization, working for the welfare of the transgender persons,” it said.
Transgender persons are considered one of the most vulnerable segments of the society. They are the most discriminated community in all spheres of life. More than 70 transgender persons have been killed in KP since 2015.
Activists working for the rights of transgender persons say the province has 40,000-50,000 transgender persons. However, the 2017 general census put the number at around 1,000 only.