3 trans women brutally killed in Pakistan

Monday, September 22, 2025 - Gunmen shot and killed three transgender women on the outskirts of Karachi before fleeing the scene, police said Monday, September 22, highlighting the ongoing threats faced by transgender people in the country.

The victims’ bodies were discovered along a roadside on Sunday, September 21, each having been shot at close range, and were later buried in a local graveyard, senior police official Javed Abro confirmed. The motive for the attack remains unclear, and authorities are actively searching for the perpetrators.

Sindh Province Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah condemned the killings and ordered an official investigation. “Transgenders are an oppressed section of society,” he said, promising that those responsible would be brought to justice.

Members of the transgender community protested outside Karachi’s Jinnah Hospital, where the bodies were taken for autopsy, warning of nationwide demonstrations if the killers were not apprehended.

Transgender rights activist Bindiya Rana told The Associated Press, “Violence against the community is not new and is deeply embedded in our society. If the police fail to identify the killers, we will announce a countrywide protest.”

The Gender Interactive Alliance, a local rights group, identified the victims as Karachi residents who earned their living by begging. The organization also noted a separate knife attack two days earlier that left another transgender woman critically injured at Karachi’s Sea View Beach.

“These back-to-back tragedies show the community is being systematically targeted. This is not just about individual killings; it is an attempt to terrorise and silence an entire community,” the alliance said, calling for immediate arrests, a dedicated protection unit for transgender individuals, and stronger support from civil society.

Transgender people in Pakistan, a Muslim-majority nation, often face abuse and are sometimes victims of so-called honour killings carried out by relatives over perceived sexual transgressions. While Pakistan’s Supreme Court recognises transgender people as a third gender and parliament passed a law in 2018 to secure their rights, activists say discrimination and violence remain widespread.