KARACHI: Advocating for climate, identity and liberation, the third “Hijra Festival 2025” is set to take place on Oct 25 at Burns Garden.
This year’s festival is dedicated to the cause of environmental protection, with its official slogan being “From climate to identity, from struggle to liberation.” The event is expected to draw a large gathering of not just transgender individuals from all over the country and the world, but also men and women from all walks of life.
This was shared by Kami Chaudhry and Dr Sara Gill of the “Hijra Festival” Organising Committee at the Karachi Press Club here on Saturday.
Speaking on the occasion, transgender activist Kami pointed out that the transgender community is also affected by the consequences of environmental degradation.
Hijra Festival 2025 to be held at Burns Garden on 25th
“Therefore, we also stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of our country and the movements across the globe in the struggle to protect the planet,” the activist said.
They added that the festival is designed not only to offer a day of joy and celebration for the Khwaja Sira community but also to bring visibility to their collective struggles and aspirations.
“The festival is, in fact, a call for inclusion, understanding and solidarity,” the activist pointed out.
“It is also a day when we come out to raise awareness about our rights as human beings. Yes, we are not normal. Not everyone is. We are special people, deserving of special treatment. We hold protests many times, but the Hijra Festival is a day to celebrate us, the Khwaja Sira community, while setting aside — alas, just for a day — the sadness which we carry in our hearts and the hardships which we face on a day-to-day basis, yet we stay resilient and survive,” they added.
Dr Sara Gill Khan, the first Pakistani doctor from the transgender community, said that the “Hijra Festival” is just a cultural event.
Highlighting one of their themes, climate and environment, she reminded the audience that members of their community are susceptible to heat-related illnesses too, from standing in the sun for long periods, though there is no available data on that. “Climate also affects us this way,” the doctor said.
They also spoke about education and raising awareness about transgender people.
“Behavioural change is a long process. You can’t change 200 or 300 years of behaviour in 10 to 12 years,” the doctor said about the acceptance of transgenders.
Dean of the faculty of Social Sciences at Szabist, Dr Riaz Shaikh, said that society needs to understand the concept of inclusivity.
“The first demand of the transgender community is ‘identity’,” he said.
“The size of a community matters. It is known by the number of community members. A population census can get you job quotas and other health and education facilities. So there is a need for a proper census for the transgender community too. Our schools and colleges must have space for Khwaja Siras, and our hospitals must have wards for them,” he said before urging people to come to the Hijra Festival on Oct 25.
Aquib Hussain of the National Trade Union Federation said that it is sad that the transgender community is viewed by others as different beings by society. “But society cannot progress with intolerance and fear,” he pointed out.
Sadia Chaudhry, a member of the Transgender Council and a town councillor, said that education has been taken away from Khwaja Siras, but they need it as much as they need their identity. “As town councillor, I have a person in our town to solve all CNIC issues of transgenders with NADRA,” she said, adding that transgenders need dignity and respect along with proper jobs. “And when there is a line to stand in for males and another for females, transgenders also need a line for themselves to stand in.”
Moazzan, another transgender person, said that their festival is everyone’s festival.
“We don’t believe in discriminating against anyone on the basis of their gender or religion. We have among us models, doctors, politicians and so many other professionals, and we have worked very hard for years to reach here. We deserve to be acknowledged, just like we acknowledge you and invite you to come and join us at the festival next week,” they said.
Saira Feroze of the Home-Based Women Workers Federation also spoke.
Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2025.