A magistrate in Lahore has dismissed a case against several transgender individuals who had been arrested for organizing an "objectionable" private gathering, stating that there was insufficient evidence connecting them to the claimed offenses.

 

 

The court's ruling indicated that the police did not provide any incriminating evidence. It observed that no eyewitnesses were present during the raid, no statements were taken, and no documentation granting permission to enter private property was included in the case file. The ruling further suggested that the defendants seemed to have been implicated based on "forged and concocted facts."

 

 

The magistrate also denied the police's plea for a 10-day physical remand and released all the transgender persons. Their lawyer Haider Butt confirmed that they were freed.

 

 

The arrests occurred after videos from the event circulated widely on social media, reportedly showing 50 to 60 participants, including transgender individuals. The Punjab government instructed law enforcement to intervene, prompting a case to be registered at the Naseerabad police station under sections of the Pakistan Penal Code that address obscenity, along with the Sound System Act.

 

 

In the aftermath of the arrests, DIG Operations Lahore Faisal Kamran stated that "promoting obscenity under the guise of a party or photoshoot is a serious legal offense" and cautioned that similar actions would not be tolerated. He also acknowledged that the scheduled screening of the film Joyland, which deals with LGBTQ themes and is banned in Punjab, was halted in the city.

 

 

The incident gained attention when fashion designer Maria B shared clips of the gathering on her social media platforms. She condemned the event, claimed that minors were present, and described it as an attempt to normalize values inconsistent with cultural and religious traditions. Additionally, she associated such gatherings with foreign influence, asserting that she would continue to bring attention to them despite anticipated backlash.

 

 

Conversely, transgender rights advocate Nayyab Ali dismissed the accusations, stating that those depicted in the videos were not affiliated with the rights movement. Ali also noted that the footage only gained widespread attention after Maria B shared it online, questioning whether her actions amounted to the dissemination of "fahashi."

 

 

Human rights activists and legal experts have since expressed concerns that morality laws, due to their ambiguous language, are susceptible to arbitrary application and often disproportionately impact marginalized communities.