The discovery of three bullet-riddled bodies on the roadside in Karachi’s Memon Goth area on the night of September 21, 2025, has sent shockwaves through Pakistan’s transgender community and reignited a national debate about violence, discrimination, and the urgent need for protection. The victims, all transgender women, were found shot at close range—a detail confirmed by senior police official Javed Ahmed Abro—before being buried in a local graveyard. The killings, which activists and community leaders describe as a chilling escalation in targeted violence, have drawn widespread condemnation and prompted calls for sweeping reforms and immediate justice.
The attack, as reported by multiple outlets including BBC, GO Magazine, and GCN, was not an isolated incident. Just two days prior, another transgender woman was critically wounded in a knife assault at Karachi’s Sea View Beach. The Gender Interactive Alliance (GIA), a prominent rights group led by activist Bindiya Rana, quickly linked the two incidents, declaring, “These back-to-back tragedies show that the Khawaja Sira community is being systematically targeted. This is not just about individual killings, it is an attempt to terrorize and silence an entire community.”
The outrage was palpable on the streets of Karachi. Members of the transgender community gathered outside the state-run Jinnah Hospital, where the bodies were taken for autopsy. Protesters warned that if swift action was not taken to find and prosecute the perpetrators, nationwide demonstrations would follow. “If the police fail to identify the killers, we will announce a countrywide protest,” Bindiya Rana told The Associated Press. The threat of mass mobilization underscores the community’s growing frustration with what they see as inadequate protection and a lack of meaningful accountability.
Sindh Province Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah publicly condemned the murders and ordered a full investigation, acknowledging the vulnerability of transgender persons in Pakistani society. “Transgender persons are a vulnerable segment of society and we must all give them dignity and respect,” he stated. Shah also pledged that those responsible would be brought to justice. Yet, for many activists, such statements ring hollow in the face of persistent violence and official inertia.
Karachi councillor and activist Shahzadi Rai pointed to a broader climate of hostility, noting, “When hate speech and campaigns are carried out so openly, outcomes like this are inevitable. Even though the state and police are on our side, killings are still occurring, which indicates that deep-rooted hatred against transgender people persists in our society.” The GIA’s Zehrish Khanzadi, herself a transgender councilor, described the community as living in constant fear, forced to rely on begging or sex work to survive due to widespread discrimination and social exclusion.
Police efforts to apprehend the killers have faced significant hurdles. Karachi’s Special Superintendent of Police, Malik Abdul Khaliq Pirzada, told reporters that the investigation was hampered by the lack of CCTV cameras near the crime scene. After Zafar, a transgender community leader, filed a murder case at the Memon Goth police station, a manhunt was launched, but as of yet, no arrests have been made and the motive remains unclear. The victims, believed to be residents of Bilawal Goth and Safoora Town, were known to earn their living begging outside prominent restaurants along the highway—a reflection of the economic marginalization faced by many in Pakistan’s estimated half-million-strong transgender population.
Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have raised alarms over what they describe as a worrying rise in violence against transgender people, known locally as Khawaja Sira or Hijras. A 2023 report in The Lancet found that 90 percent of transgender people in Pakistan have experienced physical assault. Since 2022, at least 56 transgender persons have been killed in the country, according to the GIA. High-profile attacks have included the 2023 assassination attempt on Marvia Malik, Pakistan’s first transgender newsreader, and the 2024 double murder of two trans women in Mardan, east of Peshawar.
Despite a progressive legal framework on paper, including the Supreme Court’s 2009 recognition of transgender people as a third gender and the landmark 2018 Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act that allows self-identification, activists argue that laws have not translated into lived safety. Police protection is inconsistent, and perpetrators often act with impunity. The GIA and other advocacy groups are demanding not only immediate transparent investigations and arrests, but also the creation of a dedicated transgender protection unit within the police and the implementation of hate crime legislation.
The struggle for safety and dignity is compounded by deeply entrenched transphobia. Khanzadi highlighted the social and economic barriers faced by the community: “Transphobia is deeply rooted—families disown their children, society treats them harshly, landlords refuse to rent to them, and even in slum areas they are forced to pay double rent.” She also pointed out flaws in welfare and quota systems, noting that many transgender people are excluded from government support due to bureaucratic obstacles or family rejection. While Punjab province has established safe centers and adult schools for transgender people since 2023, Sindh offers no such support, leaving many exposed to violence and abuse.
Religious and social conservatism play a significant role in perpetuating discrimination. Some transgender people have been victims of so-called honor killings by relatives seeking to “protect” family honor, while conservative religious groups have fueled anti-LGBTQ sentiment. The Federal Sharia Court’s decision to strike down part of the 2018 Transgender Rights Act has further complicated the legal landscape, raising questions about the durability of hard-won rights.
Still, there are glimmers of resilience and solidarity. Social media has been flooded with messages of condolence and support for Karachi’s Khawaja Sira community from as far afield as Toronto and Lahore. Shabbir Shafqat, chairman of World Human Rights International, condemned the killings as a grave injustice and reminded the public that transgender people are capable members of society, noting that Karachi is home to transgender professionals, including lawyers and doctors.
The GIA’s demands are clear: transparent justice, dedicated protection, and a society that recognizes the equal worth of all its citizens. “Our lives are as valuable as every other citizen’s. We demand justice. We demand protection,” declared a spokesperson for the group. The coming weeks will test whether Pakistan’s leaders and institutions are willing to move beyond rhetoric and deliver on these urgent promises.
As the investigation continues and the community mourns, the killings in Karachi serve as a stark reminder of the dangers faced by transgender people in Pakistan—and the long road ahead in the fight for true equality and safety.