PESHAWAR: Transgender persons have expressed concern about the growing incidents of violence against on their community members and demanded of the government to take tangible steps for their protection.

Transgender Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president Arzoo Khan told reporters at the Peshawar PressClub on Monday that the province had recorded five cases of violence against her community during the last 10 days.

She warned that if the culprits were not arrested in three days, transgender persons would stage a protest sitin at D Chowk in Islamabad.

Arzoo said that two transgender persons died after being injured by attackers in Mansehra and Mardan but the police made no arrest.

She called for the early punishment of the accused and protection of her community. `The government made tall claims about the protection of public life and property but failed to do so, she said.

The association leader said that many transgender persons had lost life and sufferedinjuries during the acts of violence in the last few years, but the relevant police didn`t act against the culprits.

She condemned such attacks in the province and said that mostly influential people subjected transgender persons to violence and therefore, the police didn`t act against the former.

Arzoo insisted that the accused heldinnocent transgender persons hostage for hours, and deprived them of cash, mobile phones and other valuables.

`We held protest demonstrations after every incident of violence against our community members and called for the registration of cases against culprits, but to no avail. In many cases, the criminals get off scot-free,` she said.-Bureau