The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) on Tuesday decided to scrap Rule 13-1 for gender reassignment.
A two-member bench of the Federal Sharia Court headed by Acting Chief Justice Syed Muhammad Anwar heard the petitions of Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan and others against the Transgender Act 2018.
The court was told that chairman NADRA had signed for the approval of the cancellation of Rule 13-1, after which it has been scrapped for a month, adding that approval from the next board meeting will also be sought within a month.
Senator Mushtaq’s lawyer argued that the matter needs to be gauged in a legal and religious light whether one can determine their own sex.
He added that the act has the word transgender in it but the precise meaning has to be clarified.
They further argued that under the law any transgender person has the right to decide their own gender, while the Holy Quran and Sunnah do not permit one to determine their own gender.
Moreover, the lawyer furthered that even international law does not permit one to choose their gender themselves.
Senator Mushtaq told the court that he had earlier submitted an amendment to the Transgender Act, and has now presented a new bill in the Senate, which has been sent to the committee for review.
