Sher Afzal Marwat lands in hot water for calling transgender community "Khusra"

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Sher Afzal Khan Marwat once again landed in hot water after he used a derogatory word, "Khusra", to describe the transgender community.

His remarks came when a journalist asked him to comment on the Kharian incident, where the members of transgender community attacked a police station and physically assaulted cops.

Several videos went viral on social media on Sunday, in which transgenders could be seen beating up cops, breaking furniture and forcing police personnel to do sit-ups.

As per the details provided by sources, the transgenders attacked the police station after the cops "illegally detained" a member of their community and physically assaulted him.

Commenting on the incident, the PTI lawmaker likened Punjab Police to a 'temple bell' that can be rung by anyone.

"Punjab police nahi hoe mandir ka ghanta ho gya. Har ek akar baja raha hai. Pehly foujion ne bajaya, ab khusron ne bajaya. Agy dekhty hain kon bajata hai [ It's not Punjab police, it's a temple bell. First, the military rang them, then transgenders did. Let's see who will ring them next.]," he said.

However, social media users expressed dismay over Marwat's remarks, demanding him to issue an apology for using a derogatory word against the marginalised community.

Netizens said that at a time when trans all over the country are struggling to make their voices heard, such casual discrimination and ridicule only added fuel to the fire and normalised the disenfranchisement of these groups.

While many continues to dismiss Marwat's statement as "just a joke," it is important to realise that in a country like Pakistan, where transgender people are ostracised and often disowned by their families, using such terms can have a lasting, often violent, impact.