13 transgenders will contest 2018 Pakistan general elections
Islamabad, May 24: At least 13 transgenders will contest the Pakistan general elections this year. Two of them will contest for the National Assembly and the rest for the provincial assemblies.
This was officially announced on Wednesday at a national consultation organised by All Pakistan Transgender Election Network (APTEN) in collaboration with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), The Express Tribune reported on Thursday.
The national consultation was attended by all the potential candidates and representatives from their assigned constituencies where they highlighted their demands and importance of political inclusion and empowerment of transgender persons in Pakistan.
While sharing names of some of the potential candidates, APTEN said it includes Farzana Riaz (NA-33), Arzu Khan (PK-33), Lubna (PP-26), Komal (PP-38), Madam Bhutto (PP-189), Nayab (NA-142), Nadeem Kasish (Candidate for National Assembly), Ashee (Candidate from Punjab) and others.
The objective of this consultation was to bring all the candidates and other stakeholders at discussion table where they could share their concerns and way forward.
The major concern of the candidates was regarding their identity documents such as CNIC among others. Some of them have CNIC in which they are mentioned as male in gender section but by appearance, they look like women.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Qamar Naseem, member of the Chief Minister's Special Community on Rights of the Transgender Persons (K-P) and member of the National Task Force said the ECP Act 2017 under Article 48 A and B transgender community are included in the vulnerable community which means that they shall not be required to stand in queue and will be given priority of right to vote.
Naseem further said that last time four transgenders contested the general election but they could not do it in proper order.
However, this year the community has constituted APTEN which will provide them a platform from where they will contest the election in an organised manner.
Meanwhile speaking at the occasion Additional Director General (Gender Affairs) Nighat Siddique said, "In the upcoming electoral process ECP will ensure a friendly and inclusive system for the transgender community not only as voters but also as candidates."
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Cow dung on classroom walls: DUSU chief defaces principal's office
New Delhi (PTI): DUSU president Ronak Khatri on Tuesday smeared cow dung on the walls of Lakshmibai College principal's office, escalating a row that ignited after she was caught on video coating classroom walls with cow dung for “cooling” them.
In the video, widely shared on social media, principal Pratyush Vatsala was seen coating classroom walls with cow dung.
"No consent was taken from students for such an initiative," Khatri told PTI Videos while arguing with a faculty member inside the principal's office.
"If you want to do research, do it at your home," he said.
The principal told PTI on April 13 that the faculty-led initiative was part of an ongoing research aimed at exploring indigenous and sustainable cooling techniques.
There was no immediate response from the university regarding Tuesday's incident.
In a post on X, Khatri referenced the principal's viral video and sarcastically said that he and his supporters had gone to "help" her by plastering her office walls as well.
"We have full faith that madam will now get the AC removed from her room and hand it over to students, and run the college in this modern and natural cool environment smeared with cow dung," he wrote.
In defense of her now-viral video, Principal Vatsala on April 13 said it was part of an ongoing research project conducted in porta cabins.
"It is under process. I will be able to share details of the full research after a week," she had said, stressing that misinformation was being spread without full context.
"There's no harm in touching natural mud," she added.
The principal reportedly shared the video in a teachers' WhatsApp group, noting that the indigenous method was being used to cool classrooms in C Block.
"Those who have classes here will soon get these rooms in a new look. Efforts are being made to make your teaching experience pleasant," she wrote.
The administration maintains that the method is part of scientific inquiry into sustainable practices amid rising temperatures in the capital.
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