Dear All,
Hope you are doing well. I am writing it with super disappointment and heart broken 💔 experience from UNHCR Pakistan and Australia, and from Sydney Pride Human Right Conference. We both Gays Partner were hoping to get enrolled in Sydney Pride Human Rights Conference that is taking place in Australia in March 2023, it was the best opportunity to leave Pakistan being a gay couple for good and get settled in peaceful country.
Image by QASIM REHMANI from Pixabay
Image by H.S.Wajid Hussain from Pixabay
Well, let me introduce to all of you, I am ZS, proudly to say that I am Christian gay from Pakistan (Republic Islamic County) from Asia. I am associated with Rainbow Communities Inc., Tasmania with Mr. Julian Punch more than three years. I am SOGI representative from Pakistan who has been suffering stress, being bullied and critics being a gay since childhood, especially in teen age at school and college. After getting a job, especially highlighted and again bullied from my colleague due to gestures and behaviours, so I decided to find out the best organisation internationally that can support, consider it and find out the possibility to get rid me from all these negative experience and hard situation.
It is very dangerous to have a boyfriend who is gay plus Muslim here in Pakistan. We both also facing many difficulties in Pakistan. We connected Julian Punch, he tried his best to find out the easiest way for us to be together, we connected UNHCR Pakistan, unluckily no response from them; we were ignored badly at multiple occasions by UN Pakistan.
Later, we found a ray of hope in the form of Sydney Pride on Human Rights which is taking place in March 2023 in Sydney, Australia. We both (I and my partner MS) applied, alas, again unfortunately, we both got rejected to not get a scholarship from Sydney Pride Human Rights Conference March 2023.
Being a Gay in Pakistan
As you all of know that it is extremely dangerous to be gay or transgender in Pakistan, to manage as everything, moreover execute, imprison, persecute and torture is very common for gays in Pakistan. I and my partner MS, we both trapped in Lahore, Pakistan. I am writing to express our gratitude, sadness and anger about the ignorance; not consider(ing) us being a gay couple from Pakistan those only find out the possibility to live as we want, according to UNHCR. Not only this, we both submitted for RCT Inc. to the UN but again no consideration, no feedback or any appreciation from UNO. I know we have lack of resources or very limited access but do we both do not have RIGHTS to live as normal ordinary people - who has entire social and cultural rights to live with proper acceptance and identification in society???
We also want to reassure to all of you that we both men are gays and in a relationship more than three years. That puts us in daily risk to our lives from fanatical fundamentalists. We are unsafe related to (because of) our fundamental sexuality and love for each other. I understand it is our social and ethical rights to look into it, as it is important (in) ensuring our rights to protection under the UNHCR and the SOGI Protocols as asylum seekers.
This is founded in our sexuality and love in the face of extreme danger and fear. We both need to leave our country to become asylum seekers in another country that will grant us asylum and citizenship If UNHCR assist us in this direction on the road to freedom and safety that would be extremely grateful.
At the end, I must say, we both are struggling to find out the way to leave Pakistan, must stay in the country where gays will be accepted with respect, included all Human Rights with respectful reputation. I am looking forward to hearing UNHCR or any of you apart form Julian Punch who is very respectful for both of us. Wishing to get an action with resolution.
Best regards with thanks,
ZS & MS
Lahore, Pakistan