- JUI-F appeals that the Act should be declared against Islamic Sharia.
- Court orders October 3rd as the date for preliminary hearing of JUIF’s appeal.
- No law can be made against Quran and Sunnah in the country, appeal reads.
ISLAMABAD: Following in the footsteps of its religiopolitical counterparts in the nation, the JUI-F — a major coalition government partner — filed a challenge to the transgender bill in the Federal Shariat Court on Friday.
The party challenged the legislation and asked that it be declared against Islamic Shariah, stating that “no law can be formed in the nation against the Quran and Sunnah.”
The court has set October 3rd as the date for the appeal’s preliminary hearing.
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act sparked nationwide debate when the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) pronounced many of its provisions to be Sharia-compliant, while Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) also filed a judicial challenge against the measure.
The legislation, which was passed by Pakistan’s Parliament in 2018, prevents transgender persons from being discriminated against in schools, workplaces, and public areas, as well as guaranteeing their ability to vote, inherit property, and run for public office.
Conservative lawmakers and social media users have accused the bill of allowing gender reassignment surgery, same-sex weddings, and cross-dressing.
They further say that since the law’s passage in 2018, over 23,000 individuals have altered their gender.
The suggestion that the legislation would enable men to alter their gender to female and women to change their gender to male on official papers is false.
