Pakistani transman and wife jailed

22/5/07

A female-to-male transsexual and his wife have been sent to jail in Pakistan after a court ruled the husband is a woman.

It is believed that the case of first of its kind in the Islamic country, despite the fact that many male-to-female transsexuals live openly in Pakistan.

The judge ruled that the couple had broken the law by lying about the gender of the husband, Shumail Raj, 31.

The wife, Shahzina Tariq, 24, said that she married Raj to avoid being forced into an arranged marriage. At the time of the marriage, she said she was unaware that Raj was biologically female.

The bride’s father is responsible for the pair being arrested, as he made efforts to annul the marriage claiming that it is against two people of the same sex to marry.

The High Court of Lahore ruled that Shumail Raj, 31, lied to the court by saying he was a man.

"Neither Islam nor our law allows marriages of the same sex. This mistake cannot simply be overlooked," Lahore High Court judge Khawaja Sharif told the couple, according to the BBC. "Why should a case be not registered against you for committing an unnatural offence and telling a lie?" he asked.

Since the court ruling Shumail Raj has been sent to jail in Lahore while the wife Shahzina Tariq has been sent to jail in their hometown of Faisalabad. They will remain incarcerated until their trial begins. The date has yet to be announced.

"We're not homosexuals,” said Shahzina Tariq, wearing a niqab, a face covering scarf. “Ours was a love marriage.”