PESHAWAR – A transgender woman, identified as Sara, was shot and killed in Peshawar after refusing to engage in a friendship and allegedly not paying extortion, police officials said on Monday. The incident occurred outside a plaza in the Faqirabad area, where motorcycle-riding assailants opened fire, hitting Sara six to seven times. She was rushed to Lady Reading Hospital’s ICU but succumbed to her injuries.
Sara, an Afghan national, had lived in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohat district for several years before moving to Peshawar around five to six years ago. Due to lack of official documentation, her body could not be sent back to Afghanistan and was buried in Rahman Baba Cemetery under police and transgender community supervision.
Investigation Underway
Faqirabad SP Resham Jahangir told Express Tribune that no concrete evidence of extortion or threat letters had been found so far. “Preliminary investigations suggest that Sara was killed over refusing friendship. The accused, Adam, had a prior friendship with her, and the incident occurred because she chose not to maintain friendships with anyone else,” he said.
A close associate of the suspect has been taken into custody, and police are working to apprehend the main perpetrator. He added that a financial dispute may also have contributed, as the accused allegedly spent a large sum on Sara and a conflict arose when he demanded it back, escalating to gunfire. An FIR has been registered at Faqirabad Police Station.
Community Condemns Killing
Farzana, president of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shemale Association, condemned the killing, saying, “It is a tragic incident. Transgender people in the province are being killed regularly while being denied opportunities to participate in functions and events.”
Arzu, a transgender rights activist with TransAction Alliance Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, told Express Tribune that Sara could not be kept in the hospital for long due to the severity of her injuries. “She was hit by seven bullets, and her burial had to be conducted promptly,” Arzu said.
Rising Violence Against Transgender Community
Arzu added that since 2015, a total of 170 transgender individuals have been killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with over 700 injured in shootings and violent attacks, yet perpetrators are rarely brought to justice. The figure paints a grim picture of the violence faced by the transgender community in the province.
The data suggests that, on average, approximately 15 transgender individuals have been killed each year in KP since 2015. However, activists argue that many cases go unreported, and the actual number may be higher.
Official Response
Authorities assured the transgender community that protection measures will be strengthened, and the killers will be apprehended soon. However, community leaders expressed skepticism, noting that similar assurances have been made in the past without meaningful change.
The Faqirabad police have registered a case and are conducting raids to arrest the main suspect, identified as Adam. A close associate of the suspect has already been taken into custody.
Lack of Documentation Compounds Tragedy
Sara’s status as an Afghan national without official documentation added to the tragedy. Unable to be repatriated to Afghanistan, she was buried in Peshawar—a city that had become her home over the past five to six years.
The burial was conducted under police and transgender community supervision at Rahman Baba Cemetery.
Analysis: A Community Under Siege
The killing of Sara is the latest in a long line of violent attacks against transgender individuals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. With 170 killed since 2015 and over 700 injured, the transgender community in KP faces a level of violence that would be considered a crisis in any other context.
The fact that perpetrators are rarely brought to justice compounds the trauma. Without accountability, the cycle of violence continues, and the message is clear: transgender lives are not valued, and their killers will not be punished.
The motive for Sara’s killing—a friendship dispute potentially combined with a financial disagreement—speaks to the precarious position of transgender individuals in Pakistani society. Marginalized and often forced into informal economies, they are vulnerable to exploitation, violence, and extortion.
The police’s preliminary finding that no concrete evidence of extortion has been found suggests that the case may be more complex than initially reported. However, the killing of a transgender person over a “friendship dispute” is itself a reflection of the dehumanization that allows violence against the community to be treated as somehow less serious than violence against others.
For the transgender community in Peshawar, Sara’s death is another loss in a long war for safety and dignity. For the authorities, it is a test of whether promises of protection will be followed by action. For the people of Peshawar, it is a reminder that violence against the most vulnerable members of society diminishes the humanity of all.
