2 transgender women stabbed to death at home in northwest Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Two men armed with daggers killed two transgender women at their home in conservative northwest Pakistan overnight before fleeing the scene, police said, a sign of increasing violence against trans people in the country.

The killings happened Sunday night in Mardan, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local police chief Fahim Khan said. He said the motive behind the killings was unclear and officers are still investigating, and the victims had been buried at a local graveyard.

Khan said that two suspects had also been arrested in connection with the killings, but he refused to share any further details. Khan also refused to confirm or deny whether the men were directly involved in the attack.

Transgender people are often subjected to harassment, abuse and attacks in Muslim-majority Pakistan. They are also among the victims of so-called honor killings carried out by relatives to punish perceived sexual transgressions.