ICE Age

   
      I Still search
                for you in crowds
                 In empty fields 
                 And souring clouds 
     In city lights 
                 And passing cars 
                 On winding roads 
                 wishing stars 

    I was humming a poem on road. Happiness was shimmering in my eyes.
   "Baji, give me ten rupees for the sake of Allah" I heard a request behind me while I was entering in a pizza house with my friends my neck twisted to that heavy voice. There was a transgender. I handed him/her over ten rupees. S(He) gripped that note and said, I asked for five hundred rupees and you gave me just ten rupees " "Oh  five hundred?" I was surprised. I just observed a mesmerizing smile in the heap of make up. I turned back to my friends We should give money to h-him or her-r. I stammered( I literally didn't know how should I classify it)
What?? Him or her?? One of them laughed at my confusion.
I turned to that transgender. Sadness clouded on his/her features.
"who am I?" I've read a visible question on her/his face asked by me a so called "Human" I took a deep breath full of grief and entered in pizza house.
"Miss Sidiquee it's okay. My friend showed compassion to me.
" "Yeah" I chewed on a cuticle. His or her?? I just remembered the tragedy of Alisha in Peshawar Alisha a transgender community activist 23 years old, was shot anonymously seven times on and left in a serious state and Alisha needing emergency this life threatening attack was in Peshawar but the Hospital staff of doctor’s and nurse were not ready to treat Alisha is like a human and they spent four hours to decide where to put him/her in male or female ward? Due to careless care, Alisha left the world leaving the question behind. Who am I? What am I? why I am not treated like a human. She left the world on the day of 25th of May 2016 in helpless.
    During ordering pizza I asked to the manager do ever transgender come here for a meal?
    Excuse me transgender means?  He raised an eyebrow.
   "Umm.. I mean.. you can say "Khawaja Sara" finally I got a suitable word
Ohh you mean Khusra or Hijra? He laughed. Probably he felt my blank stare at him.
" No, Ma'm! they do not come here."
In Pakistani culture and background transgenders show an important role in different, festivals including marriage ceremony, birthday’s.Still transgender in Pakistan link up to (Murat,Hijra,Khawaja Sara and Khusra).
   "Why you take everything seriously?"  my friend asked me with burning eyes.
"What? It's so hurt. " I sighed
I can understand but the system is like that."She gave a half shrug.
" Is it the fault of government for the worst attitude towards them?
 "Don't be panic, government has passed various laws for the rights of transgenders, they are taking part in every field of life, you remember about transgender news anchor Marvia Malik? It means there is a change in our country"
      Certainly she's was right but my point of view was about me,about people and about society.
Why we don't accept them?  Are they aliens?  I never saw them in family places either these are restaurants or Model mart.
   Why there's nothing in our syllabus about transgenders? Why we're not taught In our academic life that :
 Being a transgender is not a big issue it is just a medical disorder in hormones don't make it too much complicated or not need to make it stigma or taboo, nobody is responsible for it.
    There is direful need to solve the troubles of third gender of unemployment, low income, health, medication, houses, jobs, respect, social gathering rights, gender equality, fundamental rights and life safety, in the Society especially in an underdeveloped country such as like Pakistan.
   Transgenders globally need to improve systematic, economically and social rights.             It is a group of people they have the lowest degree of right or honor in Pakistan. Because of uneducated and aggressive mind set peoples, even they do not accept them as a human being of Pakistani society. And from all the part of Pakistan they faced “ignorance” and large “rejection”.Third gender is firstborn got by family. In initial glance the families become hyper to kill them or to throw them from their circle because they feel a shamed have a part of family. No one knows being born what sex you belong to? Then why Hijra faced lowborn discrimination in family, communities, social groups, schools, and society it means in every single step of life.
I realized that they are inhuman they are not the part of this society, I don’t know that they are animals or what but humans love with animals if they have a dog or cat they give it a proper food, milk shelter everything which they need. And in case of any physical attacks they don’t have social respect and personal life safety. If they face criminal victimizations or sexual harassment they acquire no help or support of society or government.
   Literally that incident changed the mood of a happy girl into sadness. While eating pizza I saw a transgender through glass pane of pizza house who was flitting car to car for asking for aims most chances were that S(He) would be ignored. 
   "Things are like that " Having cheese pizza,I raised my shoulders and being cooperated with my friends. Birds of same feather flock together. Glacier was forming around there gradually.
                                                  Writer
                                                 Iram Sidiquee