LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah on Tuesday issued notice on a petition seeking protection of fundamental rights of transgender people including enrolment in upcoming census and national identity cards with mentioning of the gender.

The court also expressed its concern when the petitioner’s counsel pointed out that graveyards’ authorities did not provide space to bury a transgender and nobody was willing to perform the burial rites of transgender people. The court observed that the matter was of public importance, and the state should do its best to secure rights of transgender community in light of apex court judgements.

The court directed the respondents to submit their replies by December 19. The chief justice sought reply from the federal government till December 7.

Waqar Ali, a transgender had filed the petition, submitting that being transgender they were not respected by society and even their parents declined to own them due to social pressure. He said that the transgender community had been marginalised as a recent event witnessed in Sialkot where a transgender was given maltreatment.

He submitted that the transgender community should be given due rights and should be allowed to mention their gender in national identity cards and they must be registered in the census as well.

He requested the court to direct the federal government to legislate on welfare of transgender community keeping in consideration its international obligations under international conventions on civil and political rights ratified in 2010.

He also requested the court to issue directives to provide protection for the transgender community in performance of religious obligations such as Hajj and Umrah.