Bullet-wounded transgender activist dies under care, colleagues blame hospital staff

PESHAWAR (Web Desk) - A local transgender activist, who was shot six times in the provincial capital earlier this week, succumbed to her injuries at Lady Reading Hospital on Wednesday morning.

Alesha was Peshawar district coordinator of the Trans Action Alliance, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, an initiative of the Blue Veins program that worked for transgender rights. She was shot near Asia Plaza.

Qamar Naseem, the programme coordinator at Blue Veins, said the LRH authorities are to blame for Alesha’s death as they “failed to provide her with urgent care or necessary facilities because she was transgender.” According to Naseem, she was not admitted to ICU even though her condition was critical.

Following the attack on her, Alesha was rushed to Lady Reading Hospital. However, hospital authorities could not decide whether to place her in the male ward or the female one, wasting over an hour before giving her the urgent medical care that she needed.

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The matter was taken up by Khyber Pakhtunkha Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, who visited Alesha at the hospital on Monday and directed hospital authorities to place her in a private room.

However, Alesha’s condition continued to deteriorate, and she eventually succumbed to her wounds.

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An FIR of the shooting was registered at Faqirabad police station. Police have arrested the relatives of those accused in the FIR. However, the actual accused continue to remain at large as investigations are underway.

Meanwhile, Trans Action Alliance members have been receiving constant threats.

“We have eyewitnesses as well as proof of the accused admitting to the crime,” Naseem said, adding the organization will soon present these to the police for further action.

This was the third time Alesha was attacked, and the fifth time a Trans Action board member was attacked by members of the same gang.