Eunuchs in Pak want four percent commission like Indian counterparts for loan recovery

KARACHI - : Following the Pakistan Supreme Court’s advice to the government to use the services of eunuchs to recover outstanding loan amounts, the transgender community in the country is excited and ready to offer their help, but only if they are given the same commission as their Indian counterparts.

Some of the members of the community said they are ready to help the authorities in their own ‘traditional’ style.

“If we are asked to recover loans, we will constitute special teams and right after getting the list we would rush to the houses of these defaulters with drums and other musical instruments and would sing and dance to ask them for the money,” The Daily Times quoted Shabnam, as saying.

It may be noted that recently the State Bank of Pakistan had submitted that a huge amount of 193 billion rupees were written off during the period 1997 to 2008, after which Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had suggested taking the help of transvestites for the recovery of loans.

However, some of the members of this community do not agree with Shabnam’s idea.

Saniya Baloch, Secretary General of the Gender Interactive Alliance said that the recovery of loans is a tricky and difficult job for which a serious and comprehensive plans should be formed.

“When the government, police and army could not recover the loans from the bank defaulters, then how can we do so?” Saniya said.

She demanded that the government should hire them as its employees for the recovery of loans.

Saniya said the government should also pay them a proper salary besides a share in the recovered loan amount.

“In India, transvestites are recovering loans and even taxes and they get four percent of the total recovered loans as well as taxes, so we too demand for such a share,” she stressed.

Saniya, however, said she is not sure if the government would take the apex court’s suggestions seriously.

“The orders given by the apex court for the registration of transgender have so far not been fulfilled by the government, therefore I am doubtful this new advice will be followed,” she added. (ANI)