Protection centres for Pakistan’s transgender community will reportedly be finalised by the end of this year, the National Assembly was informed during a discussion on the harassment of the community across the country.

Parliamentary Secretary for Human Rights Lal Chand Malhi said this was a devolved subject and three incidents of violence against the transgender community have been reported in the federal capital alone in the last three years.

He said these were murder cases and “arrests have been made and strict action has been taken against the culprits, as all are equal citizens”.

But PTI lawmaker Asma Qadeer said that nine cases have been reported in nine months expressing conflict about the figures. However, she did not mention the city.

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“Transgender people who demand alms at traffic signals are not only harassed by the general public but also by the beggar mafia. You are saying that transgender people have equal rights, but the fact is that they are not allowed to be buried in the graveyards of the general public, they are denied admission in hospitals, etc,” she said.

Another ruling party lawmaker, Zille Huma said that movements must be run in the media and on social media for the protection of transgender people, adding that seats should also be allocated for transgender people in vocational institutes.

As per reports, Pakistan’s transgender population is currently 10,400.

The National Assembly had passed the landmark Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill in 2017, which enables trans people to be recognised as they perceive themselves and register with the government institutions as transgenders. It also gives them basic rights such as having driver’s licenses and passports.