“I am a proud transgender and since twelve years I am part of the dancing profession. Aesthetically my society is dead and the inhabitants of this region don’t tolerate art and artists, and even refuse to consider us part of the culture”, Peshawar-based Paroo tells me.
Paroo resides on the top of a market in a congested bazaar and narrow alley at Gulbahar. In her well-furnished apartment, she has established a boutique in one room. She plans to inaugurate it in the near future.
This is the first ever boutique catering to transgender people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Dresses vary in price from from Rupees 3000 to 6000 per costume. “This is not only a boutique but also a learning institute for transgender people. I have planned to pass on this art to the next generations and this craft will be for transgender people to safeguard themselves in the worst times!” Paroo explains enthusiastically.
Paroo hopes to pass on her skills in embroidery and dressmaking to financially empower other members of the transgender community
"This is not only a boutique but also a learning institute for transgender people"
Paroo is dazzling. Born in a far-flung village of Swat some 20 kilometers from the main Mingora Bazaar. Paroo is determined to carve out a place In this male dominated society where women are under continuous pressure from conservative forces and there is little room for the third gender.
According to Farzana, head of a transgender organization, there are up to 6,000 transgender people only in Peshawar district and in the last twenty months, some 46 members of the community were killed across the province and more than 300 were harassed, tortured and raped in different towns of KP. “Our community is in danger from these so-called civilised and cultured schools of thought” she quips.
Paroo is busily working on her embroidery at different points on a black dress, and tells me: “Before I fled my hometown, villagers harassed me because of my physically attractive structure and fair complexion and even today after a decade nothing has changed and I still face awkward, lustful gestures.”
Paroo found it impossible to live at home, due to the stigma associated with transgender people in conservative Pakistan
“One day in my village, some ruffians were following me on bikes. I escaped and ran home; my father saw me and started slapping and kicking me instead of confronting those who were following me. From that day I began to be increasingly isolated”, she recalls.
“To be very honest, I was a stigma for my family and therefore I have spent most of my time with sisters”. Paroo says. She further adds, “Then I left home for Peshawar and here I joined the transgender community and now my home and family are these deprived people.”
“Only once I have dared to visit home but I was discouraged and years ago I tried calling my mother but her response was full of anger,” says Paroo, describing her last effort to contact her family.
Transgender activists have organised increasingly vocal movements for the rights of their increasingly threatened and marginalised communities
"I escaped and ran home. My father started slapping and kicking me instead of confronting those who were following me"
Taimur Kamal, a transgender rights activist insists, “Is there a single FIR or police case against any transgender in KP? The answer is crystal clear: No. And it shows that these people are innocent artists and entertainers.”
He further elaborated that transgender people are vulnerable members of society, and it is not an easy matter to open up space for them in a conservative culture.
Since a decade, performing art is on the decline in many parts of Pakistan. Arguably, in fact, it is on the verge of destruction. Once Peshawar was a hub for cultural activities - painters, sketch-makers, cartoonists, sculptors and performers would come to the city to try their luck at the famous Nishtar Hall and other locations of the city. This is no longer the case, and it is transgender people who feel the brunt of this cultural decline more than any others.
Kamal added that in Peshawar, members of civil society, along with some NGOs, are working with government and other stakeholders and that their main objective is to bring transgender people into the mainstream of Pakistani society, with dignity and freedom.
Violent crimes against transgender communities appear to be on the increase in Pakistan
Paroo, though, is worried. “I am hopeless and I am afraid the situation might be more miserable in the coming days. The reason is obvious - collectively our society is in stagnant water and this is reflected in the popular mindset!”
“Popular narratves about the transgender community are pathetic. The majority of the population considers them only sex workers - not as dancers and entertainers!” journalist Nabi Jan complains. He also criticized the provincial government in this regard. “The PTI-led government has made many promises for the wellbeing and protection of the transgender community as well as financial and technical assistance but nothing happened in practice.”
“I love dancing and will continue it as a hobby only in private gatherings and functions,” Paroo explains.”Hardly two weeks ago I was beaten and harassed in a function in the jurisdiction of Hashtnagri Police Station. Although I have registered First Information Report against the culprits, nothing happened.”
“In my whole career nobody supported the transgender people but only the media became the voice of the voiceless,” she says. I ask her if she misses her family and village. Tearful Paroo comments, “I miss my mother too much – for so long now, I don’t even know if she is dead or alive.”
Every day around sunset and on Eid days, I miss my family; because at these times our family would gather and eat together…” Paroo remarks wistfully.
The last two years were very tough for Paroo: “My friends were killed and this act really frightened all of us. My boyfriend took Rupees 700,000 from me and I have little hope of recovering it. These experiences have been nightmares for me and compelled me to find an alternate profession. I am lucky in this regard - for I am as skilled in the techniques of dress-making as I am in dancing!”
Journalist Nabi Jan is clear in his prescriptions as far as policy-making is concerned: “One of the prime responsibilities of the state is to provide protection and safety to its people. Transgender people should be included in all sorts of civil services - they are creative and will be an asset in many departments. The police must change its behavior towards this vulnerable community too.”
“I am hopeful about my boutique and I am sure Peshawar’s families would support us. Our dresses are purely handmade and comparatively cheap”, an energetic Paroo smiles.
“I am happy that these days I am learning Quran and Islamic teachings from another transgender person and I am trying to learn English too. It is, after all, an era of competition and there is no age limit for love and education!” Paroo concludes.
