Trans Woman Fatally Shot in Dargai After Refusing Ex; Suspect at Large
DARGAI, MALAKAND — A 28-year-old transgender woman, Shahab alias Wafa, was brutally shot dead late Saturday night in what police are calling a revenge killing, after she reportedly refused to revive a past relationship with the alleged perpetrator.
The incident took place in the Badraga area of Dargai (Hari Chand), District Malakand, as Wafa was returning from a wedding event where she had performed. Hailing from Taro Jaba in District Mardan, Wafa was intercepted by two armed men —one identified as Shaukat, her former partner moments after exiting the venue.
According to police, Shaukat and an unidentified accomplice, both riding a motorcycle, attempted to abduct her. When Wafa tried to escape in her vehicle, the assailants opened indiscriminate fire. A bullet struck Wafa in the head, killing her instantly. Naveed Ahmed, who was driving the vehicle and reportedly in a relationship with Wafa, was critically injured in the gunfire and later became the complainant in the First Information Report (FIR).
The FIR was registered on May 25 at the Bacha Khan Shaheed Koper Police Station under Sections 427 (mischief), 302 (murder), 324 (attempted murder), and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Initial investigations revealed that Wafa and other transgender performers were leaving the wedding when they were ambushed. Fearing confrontation, they tried to flee, but the assailants opened fire, killing Wafa on the spot and injuring Naveed.
Police officials confirmed that Shaukat had been in a two-year relationship with Wafa, which ended when she began a new relationship with Naveed. Authorities believe this shift may have triggered Shaukat’s deadly attack.
“The incident appears to have been premeditated. The wedding was in Shaukat’s own village, and he had been monitoring Wafa’s presence,” said Station House Officer Noor Zameen Shah. “He does not have a prior criminal record and worked in the local vegetable market. He used to visit Wafa regularly.”
Case Investigation Officer Qayyum said the police have begun investigations but have not yet made any arrests. “We are actively trying to locate the suspects,” he stated. “Naveed, who is out of danger, will give a full statement once fully recovered.”The attack has reignited fears among the transgender community, who continue to face unchecked violence and systemic neglect in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Farzana Riaz, a prominent transgender rights activist and community representative in KP, expressed deep anguish over Wafa’s killing.
“It is heartbreaking. Yet another life lost to hate and revenge,” Riaz told The Reporters. “Wafa had been receiving threats from Shaukat, who was trying to coerce her back into a relationship. She repeatedly refused — and paid with her life.”
Riaz shared troubling statistics: “Since 2015, at least 153 transgender individuals have been murdered in KP. Not a single perpetrator has been convicted.”
The lack of convictions reflects a broader failure of law enforcement and judicial institutions, Riaz argued. “Police often avoid registering proper FIRs, or file weak charges, allowing suspects to walk free. Victims’ families are frequently sidelined, or persuaded into forgiveness under cultural and religious pressures.”
She further revealed that she, too, has been facing serious threats and has appealed to the KP Inspector General of Police multiple times for protection without any response.“Harassment, abuse, and threats are part of our daily reality,” she said. “Despite policies existing on paper, none have been implemented. Compared to Punjab, where some protections for trans persons have taken root, KP remains alarmingly regressive.”
Riaz made an emotional appeal to both the government and human rights organizations: “We are citizens of this country. Our lives matter. The state must act not just to arrest the perpetrators of Wafa’s murder, but to ensure lasting protections for the transgender community.”She stressed the need for properly filed FIRs, swift justice, and consistent policy implementation. “Protests are all we have left. If that is taken away, it would be a cruel injustice.”
Wafa’s tragic murder serves as yet another stark reminder of the impunity surrounding violence against transgender individuals in Pakistan. Until concrete steps are taken to protect this marginalized community, activists warn, such violence will continue — and the silence of authorities will only deepen the crisis.
