Sindh’s Progressive Laws Fail to Deliver: Provincial Forum Demands Closure of ‘Justice Gap’ for Transgender Persons and PWDs

Despite possessing some of Pakistan’s most progressive legislation for transgender individuals and persons with disabilities (PWDs), the province of Sindh is facing a persistent implementation gap that leaves its most vulnerable citizens excluded from the justice and protection they are legally promised.

This critical systemic failure was the focus of the Provincial Forum on Social Inclusion, held today in Karachi. Themed “From Exclusion to Entitlement: Closing the Justice Gap for Sindh’s Most Marginalised Communities,” the event was convened by The Legal Aid Society (LAS) under the Aawaz II Programme, which is implemented by Care Pakistan and supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

The forum gathered a diverse coalition of key stakeholders—including government officials, statutory body representatives, judicial members, civil service organizations, and community advocates—to confront the institutional barriers preventing marginalized groups from accessing their legal entitlements.

Five Interconnected Failures Uncovered

Aawaz II district partners, including the IRC, Sami Foundation, HWA, and AWARE, presented alarming data aggregated from village and district forum surveys conducted across Malir, Thatta, Badin, Mirpurkhas, and Umerkot. The findings exposed five deeply entrenched structural breakdowns:

1. Inaccessible Certification: PWDs face exhausting and poorly designed bureaucratic hurdles in the official disability-certification processes.

2. Institutional Humiliation: Marginalized groups routinely experience physical barriers and derogatory treatment when attempting to access public services.

3. Unprotected Vulnerabilities: There is a total absence of dedicated shelter homes for transgender persons, alongside widespread, invisible caregiver abuse directed at PWDs.

4. Law Enforcement Blind Spots: Not a single police station across the five surveyed districts has a trained focal officer sensitive to the needs of these communities.

5. Systemic Exclusion from Governance: There is zero representation of transgender persons or PWDs on disaster management committees, welfare boards, or provincial planning forums.

National and local advocates weighed in heavily on these findings. Ms. Abia Akram, Director Projects at the Special Talent Exchange Programme (STEP), provided a comprehensive national analysis of the hurdles PWDs face. Meanwhile, prominent transgender community advocates Ms. Zehrish Khan and Ms. Aradhiya Khan outlined urgent reform priorities, emphasizing the need for structured coordination with duty bearers to ensure inclusive, dignified public service delivery.

Government Response: Rights, Not Charity

Responding to the grievances, representatives from key government departments detailed their current initiatives while acknowledging the need for a philosophical shift in state delivery.

Dr. Ratana, representing the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPD), highlighted the ongoing rollout of the Shanakht (Identity) Certificate. She confirmed that DEPD is now operational across 30 districts of Sindh, with approximately 100,000 PWDs registered so far. Dr. Ratana stressed that enforcing the statutory 5% employment quota for PWDs remains an institutional priority.

“Persons with disabilities are not beggars,” Dr. Ratana stated firmly. “It is their right to access what the law already entitles them to.”

Addressing the challenges faced by the transgender community, Mr. Abdul Hakeem, Assistant Director of the Social Welfare Department (SWD), briefed the forum on Karachi’s Community Development Centre (CDC) for Transgender Persons. He highlighted that Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) barriers remain a major roadblock for enrollment. Moving forward, Mr. Hakeem outlined SWD’s plans to roll out employer sensitization programs, scale up community awareness, and establish stronger protection mechanisms against violence and discrimination.

A Roadmap for Time-Bound Action

Facilitating the strategic dialogue, Ms. Maliha Zia of the Legal Aid Society anchored a concise, actionable manifesto of demands aimed at provincial authorities. The forum’s core “asks” included:

• The implementation of trans-inclusive NADRA Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and specialized mobile registration camps.

• Strict enforcement of the 5% employment quota for PWDs and the 2% quota for transgender persons.

• The immediate appointment and training of dedicated focal officers in every police station.

• The formal gazetting of caregiver abuse as a reportable legal category.

• The establishment of inclusive, safe shelter homes.

• The creation of reserved seats for transgender individuals and PWDs within District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMA) and welfare boards.

The forum concluded with participants reaffirming their collective commitment to social inclusion. Stakeholders agreed to time-bound departmental actions, which will be strictly monitored through Aawaz II’s provincial engagement channels and formally submitted to the Multi-Sectoral Coordination Committee and its Technical Working Groups for swift execution.