PESHAWAR (April 23, 2026) — In a historic first for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, two transgender individuals have been appointed as warders in the provincial Prisons Department. Bilal (alias Sobia Khan) and Zohaib Ahmad received their appointment letters from Chief Minister Sohail Afridi during a ceremony on Wednesday, marking a significant milestone for the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018.
Highlights
- Sobia Khan and Zohaib Ahmad are the first to fill the transgender quota in the KP Prisons Department.
- Both candidates cleared all standard benchmarks, including a grueling physical test, a written examination, and a formal interview panel.
- Sobia Khan is set to serve in the women’s section of Central Jail Peshawar.
- Officials noted that while 18 posts are reserved for transgender persons, a lack of awareness resulted in only two applications this cycle.
“Merit, Not Mercy”
IG Prisons Rehan Gul Khattak emphasized that the selection was strictly based on ability rather than concessions. “We hire for duty, not for labels,” he stated, expressing confidence that the new recruits would make the prison system both more professional and more humane.
For Sobia Khan, the appointment is the culmination of a long struggle against societal rejection. After being forced to beg and dance for survival, she sought help from a local NGO to complete her matriculation and a computer course. “They laughed when I filled the form,” she recalled. “I applied anyway, because hope is a decision.”
Two transgender persons appointed as warders in KP https://t.co/Pq6ExNVroN
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) April 23, 2026
Rights advocates and community leaders have hailed the move as a practical implementation of protective legislation that often remains confined to paper.
Saida Khan (All Artists Association KP) described the event as a new beginning and thanked the provincial leadership for their courage to act.
Farzana Jan (Transgender Rights Network) noted that the law becomes true justice only when it tangibly changes lives, as it has for Sobia and Zohaib.
The provincial government has indicated that more efforts will be made to raise awareness about reserved quotas in other departments to ensure inclusive employment across the board.
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