Meet Sobia Khan, a transgender candidate running from Peshawar on February 8th
In Pakistan, the transgender community has suffered from brutality and persecution for far too long. This is especially true in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), where the community’s members have been subjected to ongoing violence for many years.
But now that they are rising up against injustice to defend their rights as outlined in the Constitution and the law, a wind of change is predicted to sweep over their lives.
As a candidate in the next general elections set for February 8, 2024, Sobia Khan, a transwoman from the province, is leading the charge in the battle for gender equity for her community.
Originally from Peshawar, Sobia filed her candidacy papers for the provincial assembly, making history as the first transgender person to run for office in her constituency, PK-84.
Narrating a statement from her platform, she added, “If I win the elections, I will raise funds for the women who do domestic work to earn a livelihood, so that they can sit at home and raise their children without worrying about anything.”
The transperson is not new to the discrimination that members of her group are known to have experienced throughout their lives, even though she possesses the courage to make such a daring move in their lives.
In addition to sharing her painful personal experiences, Sobia serves as a representative of the community and people of different sexual orientations. She describes how, despite having completed 14 years of education and holding a bachelor’s degree in the arts, she is still unemployed and finds it difficult to fit in with society.
“I will raise my voice for the poor, women, and my community,” Sobia responded when asked what she would do for the nation if appointed prime minister. Many well-educated transgender people continue to be denied state-provided facilities.”
She went on to say that the state has to hire and involve transgender people in a variety of departments since doing so will inspire other trans people to follow in their footsteps.
“There isn’t a single transgender worker in KP. As she described the community’s struggle, Sobia questioned, “How will they survive if they do not have a job?”
She is the first transwoman from her community to have the bravery to come forward and seek equal political and civic rights for her group, therefore her choice to enter politics is historic in the province.
Her community’s and her family’s constant support gave her the courage and confidence she needed. Sobia continued, “I am lucky to have such strong support from my family because I am confident that my candidacy will result in positive change for my people, in addition to being based on personal convictions.”
Sobia’s primary goal in running in the general elections of 2024 is to defend the rights of the oppressed and hold those who mistreat them accountable.
She has also filed a case in the Peshawar High Court seeking distinct representation for transgender people on reserved seats in Pakistan’s national and provincial parliament in order to guarantee that her community is fairly represented in elections.
“It is clear how we would defeat other candidates if they force us to run for general seats. We should receive a communication from the ECP and PHC so that we can pick our seats in advance,” she stated.
According to Sobia, since every minority group in Pakistan already has seats reserved for them in the national and local parliament, this request is not unreasonable.
She also discussed petitioning the high court to address the absence of gender-specific counters at the city’s ECP office.
I am a dedicated student currently in my seventh semester, pursuing a degree in International Relations. Alongside my academic pursuits, I am actively engaged in the professional field as a content writer at the Rangeinn website.
