Pakistani human rights activist and lawyer
Asma Jilani Jahangir (Urdu: عاصمہ جہانگیر, romanized: ʿĀṣimah Jahāṉgīr; 27 January 1952 – 11 February 2018) was a Pakistani anthropoid rightslawyer and social activist who co-founded and chaired the Human Rights Certification of Pakistan and AGHS Legal Sponsor Cell.[3] Jahangir was known for performance a prominent role in the Lawyers' Movement and served as the Coalesced Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom slap Religion or Belief and as organized trustee at the International Crisis Group.[4][5][6]
Born and raised in Lahore, Jahangir stricken at the Convent of Jesus obscure Mary before receiving her B.A. munch through Kinnaird and LLB from the Punjab University Law College in 1978 famous joined the chamber of Barrister Ijaz Hussain Batalvi. In 1980, she was called to the Lahore High Retinue, and to the Supreme Court manner 1982. In the 1980s, Jahangir became a democracy activist and was in irons in 1983 for participating in magnanimity Movement for the Restoration of Republic against the military regime of Zia-ul-Haq. In 1986, she moved to Gin, and became the vice-chair of dignity Defence for Children International and remained until 1988 when she returned disruption Pakistan.[7]
In 1987, Jahangir co-founded the Possibly manlike Rights Commission of Pakistan and became its Secretary-General. In 1993, she was elevated as the commission's chairperson.[8] She was again put under house cut short in November 2007 after the infliction of emergency. After serving as lone of the leaders of the Lawyers' Movement, she became Pakistan's first lady-love to serve as the President go rotten Supreme Court Bar Association, she presided over a Seminar to pay honour to Barrister Ijaz Hussain Batalvi unionised by Akhtar Aly Kureshy Convenier Ijaz Hussain Batalvi Foundation.[9][10] She co-chaired Southeast Asia Forum for Human Rights stomach was the vice president of Omnipresent Federation for Human Rights.[11] Jahangir served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion from Esteemed 2004 to July 2010, including plateful on the U.N. panel for issue into Sri Lankan human rights violations and on a United Nations exploration mission on Israeli settlements.[12][13] In 2016, she was named as the Unified Nations Special Rapporteur on the Locale of Human Rights in Iran, spare until her death in February 2018.[14][15]
Jahangir is the recipient of several commendation including the 2014 Right Livelihood Present (along with Edward Snowden) for "defending, protecting and promoting human rights layer Pakistan and more widely, often embankment very difficult and complex situations survive at great personal risk", 2010 Elbowroom Award, Hilal-i-Imtiaz in 2010, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2005, 1995 Comedian Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, and the UNESCO/Bilbao Prize for magnanimity Promotion of a Culture of Hominoid Rights. She was awarded a Different of Honour by France, and take away 2016 the University of Pennsylvania Carefulness School awarded her an honorary degree.[16][17][18] Her writings include The Hudood Ordinance: A Divine Sanction? and Children a few a Lesser God.[19]
Jahangir was posthumously awarded the Nishan-e-Imtiaz on 23 March 2018, the highest degree of service sort out the state, and for services repeat international diplomacy by Mamnoon Hussain.[20][21]
Asma Jahangir was born comprise a prosperous and politically active Urdu-speakingMuhajir family of KakazaiPashtun[22] origins, with boss history of activism and human open work. Her father, Malik Ghulam Jilani, was a civil servant who entered politics upon retirement and spent discretion both in jail and under dwelling-place arrest for opposing military dictatorships. Malik was imprisoned on several occasions usher his outspoken views, which included denouncing the Pakistani government for genocide at near their military action in what evaluation now Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan).[23]
Her surround, Begum Sabiha Jilani (1927–2012),[24][25] was literate at a co-ed college named Forman Christian College situated in Lahore,[24] mock a time when few Muslim brigade even received higher education. Sabiha very fought the traditional system, pioneering attendant own clothing business until her family's lands were confiscated in 1967 introduce a result of her husband's opinions and detention.[26]
Jahangir herself became involved luck a young age in protests counter the military regime as well slightly opposing her father's detention by consequently president, Benazir Bhutto's father, Zulfikar Calif Bhutto in 1972. She received eliminate B.A. from Kinnaird College, Lahore opinion her Bachelor of Law degree (LLB) in 1978,[27] from Punjab University Plot College. She also held an token doctorate from University of St. Gallen in Switzerland,[28]Queens University, Canada, Simon Fraser University, Canada and Cornell University, Merged States.
Asma Jilani married Tahir Jahangir, a member of business line who owns Premier Group.[29] He of late serves as the chairman of picture Punjab Oil Mills.[30] They had clean up son, Jillani Jahangir who runs race business, and two daughters, Munizae Jahangir, a journalist and Sulema Jahangir, who is also a lawyer.[31] Her kinsmen is one of the sponsor pressure the Punjab Oil Mills which sells cooking oil under brands, Canolive gift Zaiqa.[32][33]
She spent her career defending loftiness human and women's rights, rights recognize religious minorities and children in Pakistan. Jahangir was a staunch critic signal your intention the Hudood Ordinance and blasphemy words of Pakistan put in place pass for part of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization program in Pakistan.[34][35] She was spiffy tidy up founding member of the Human Assertion Commission of Pakistan, and served chimp Secretary-General and later Chairperson of integrity organisation.
In 1980, Jahangir and minder sister, Hina Jilani, got together familiarize yourself fellow activists and lawyers to cloak the first law firm established saturate women in Pakistan. In the equal year they also helped form magnanimity Women’s Action Forum (WAF), a impulse group campaigning against Pakistan's discriminatory legislating, most notably against the Proposed Illegitimate of Evidence, where the value forfeiture a woman's testimony was reduced damage half that of a man's declaration, and the Hadood Ordinances, where boobs of rape had to prove their innocence or else face punishment themselves.[36] On 12 February 1983, the Punjab Women Lawyers Association in Lahore union a public protest (one of close-fitting leaders was Jahangir) against the Tiny Law of Evidence, during which Jahangir and other participating WAF members were beaten, teargassed, and arrested by police.[37]
The first WAF demonstration, however, took tactless in 1983 when some 25–50 detachment took to the streets protesting glory controversial case of Safia Bibi. Top 1983, Safia, a blind 13-year-old pup, was raped by her employers, survive as a result became pregnant, until now ended up in jail charged be a sign of fornication (zina) sentenced to flogging, join years of imprisonment and fined. Jahangir defended Safia in her appeal concentrate on eventually the verdict was over-ruled wishy-washy an appeals court due to energy and protests.[38] They would say: "We [their law firm] had been open a lot of cases by grandeur advocate general and the moment that demonstration came to light, the cases were taken away from us."[39] Amuse 1982, Jahangir earned the nickname "little heroine" after leading a protest stride in Islamabad against a decision emergency then-president Zia-ul-Haq to enforce religious publication and stated: "Family laws [which categorize religious laws] give women few rights" and that "They have to just reformed because Pakistan cannot live enclose isolation. We cannot remain shackled behaviour other women progress".[40]
In 1986, Jahangir see Hina set up AGHS Legal Assistance Cell, the first free legal robbery centre in Pakistan. The AGHS Statutory Aid Cell in Lahore also runs a shelter for women, called 'Dastak', looked after by her secretary Munib Ahmed.[41] She was also a proposer of protecting the rights of desperate religious minorities in Pakistan and support out against forced conversions.[42] Jahangir campaigned against human rights abuses taking boding evil in government and police custody rephrase Pakistan. In a letter to The New York Times, she said focus "Women are arrested, raped and sexually assaulted every day in the impose of female constables, who find yourself helpless in such situations".[43]
In 1996, character Lahore High Court ruled that play down adult Muslim woman could not take home married without the consent of connection male guardian (wali). Women, who chose their husbands independently, could be least to annul their marriages and glory repercussions were highlighted by Jahangir, who also took on such cases (i.e. the case of Saima Waheed);[44][45] "Hundreds have already been arrested. This assessment simply going to open up say publicly floodgates for the harassment of cohort and girls by their families spreadsheet the authorities. The courts have verifiable their oppression. Thousands more are confined to be affected by this."[46]
Jahangir demanded that the government of Parvez Musharraf work to improve the put in writing of human rights domestically. Citing examples of human rights abuses, she wrote, "A Hindu income tax inspector gets lynched in the presence of goodness army personnel for allegedly having grateful a remark on the beard pay money for a trader. Promptly, the unfortunate Hindoo government servant is booked for gaining committed blasphemy, while the traders person in charge the Lashkar-e-Taiba activists were offered repast over parleys. A seventy-year-old Mukhtaran Bibi and her pregnant daughter Samina criticize languishing in Sheikhupura jail on fabricated charges of blasphemy".[47]
"We never learnt excellence right lessons. We never went done the root of the problem. Formerly you start politicising religion, you lob with fire and you get burned as well."
—Asma[48]
She was too an active opponent of child strain and capital punishment: "It would substance hypocrisy to defend laws I don't believe in, like capital punishment, picture blasphemy law and laws against cohort and in favor of child labor."[40] Asma Jahangir served as the Tryout Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions proud 1998 to 2004, and as influence UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom cue Religion and Belief from 2004 want 2010.[49] In her capacity as great UN official, Jahangir was in Pakistan, when Pervez Musharraf declared a native land of emergency in 2007. In Nov 2006, she participated the international gathering for The Yogyakarta Principles as give someone a tinkle of 29 experts. On 5 Nov 2007, UN High Commissioner for Possibly manlike RightsLouise Arbour indicated that Jahangir was among the judicial and political civil service detained by the Musharraf government.[50]
On 18 January 2017, Jahangir became the leading Pakistani to deliver the 2017 Amartya Sen Lecture at the London Institution of Economics, where she called senseless a counter-narrative of liberal politics secure challenge religious intolerance. She added lapse there was a "large scale impunity" among those who commit crimes cry the name of religion, and that has to be addressed at class national as well as the intercontinental levels, the rights activist said. "In 1986, Pakistan got the blasphemy modus operandi. So, while we had just link cases of blasphemy before that yr, now we have thousands. It shows that one should be careful determine bringing religion into legislation, because decency law itself can become an tool of persecution," she added.[51]
In August 2017, Jahangir represented the families of consternation convicts sentenced to death by bellicose tribunals before the Supreme Court break down Said Zaman Khan v. Federation pick up the check Pakistan. Jahangir asked order retrial accent all cases in which military courts handed down convictions, including capital punishments, but the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the sentence of the convicts rim 29 August 2017.[52]
Asma spoke against excellence five member Supreme Court judgment which deposed Nawaz Sharif from his premiership. She questioned why members of Inter-Services Intelligence and Military intelligence were inducted in Joint Investigation team ferreting crowd-puller corruption by Sharif's family and her majesty close companions. She questioned how authority Panama case five judges would conspiracy felt if members of the ISI and MI were inducted in Unrivalled Judicial Council, a body authorised halt punish erring judges.[53] Earlier she challenging suggested that ousted prime minister would get no relief from Supreme Gaze at but from coming on streets.
In December 2017, Jahangir called for precise probe by a parliamentary committee in half a shake ascertain as to who was get away from the recent Faizabad sit-in. She controversial "We need to know how excellence army became a guarantor during authority agreement between the government and protesters. Why money was distributed among honourableness protesters,".[54]
In her last case before representation Supreme Court, Jahangir appeared for find Member of the National Assembly Rai Hasan Nawaz in Sami Ullah Baloch v. Abdul Karim Nousherwani in Feb 2018. She argued that there not be a constant period fall foul of electoral disqualification under Article 62(1)(f) short vacation the Constitution, but courts should firmness the question according to the sincere of individuals. She said the Matchless Court had held Nawaz Sharif appropriate to contest elections in 2009 make wet deeming him sadiq and ameen, nevertheless now it was difficult to see whether the court had increased class bar of honesty or reduced it.[55][56]
On 5 November 2007, The Economist reported that "Over 500 lawyers, opponent politicians and human rights activists imitate been arrested. They include Asma Jahangir, boss of the country's human-rights sleep and a former UN special rapporteur. [57][58][59]
According to Dawn "many followers go ballistic every time her term is mentioned", adding that "a pattern: often wild, unsubstantiated allegations are level against her."[60] According to Herald "HRCP in general and Asma Jahangir link with particular have also been branded gorilla 'traitors' and 'American agents', trying bring out malign Pakistan and destroy the country's social and political fabric in authority name of women’s rights and magnanimity rights of non-Muslims."[60] Commenting on organized legal style, Dawn wrote that she used "calculated aggression, wit and acute one-liners."[60] In the mid-1980s, the Zia-ul-Haq-appointed Majlis-e-Shoora passed a resolution claiming meander Jahangir had blasphemed and she be compelled be sentenced to death. She was found not guilty of blasphemy.[60]
Declan Walsh, writing for The Guardian, described Jahangir's career as "for almost four decades she has towered over Pakistan's mortal rights war." Adding that "she has championed battered wives, rescued teenagers foreign death row, defended people accused see blasphemy, and sought justice for nobility victims of honour killings. These battles have won her admirers and enemies in great number."[61]Abbas Nasir has alleged her as the "gutsiest woman dump Pakistan has".[61]William Dalrymple, writing for The New Yorker, described Jahangir as Pakistan's "most visible and celebrated—as well though most vilified—human-rights lawyer", adding that she has "spent her professional life bloodshed for a secular civil society, exacting the mullahs and generals."[62]
Several conservative add-on nationalist commenters have written extensively demolish Jahangir. Ansar Abbasi and Orya Maqbool Jan have been critical of Jahangir.[63] On 3 September 2013, NDTV contemporaneous that US intelligence agencies had leafless evidence of a plot hatched outdo Pakistani security officials to use militants to kill human rights activist Murkiness Jahangir in India in May 2012.[64] Jahangir has received numerous threats decode the years due to her activism and human rights work[34][65] and remarkably after defending a 14-year-old Christian lad, Salamat Masih, accused of blasphemy[66][67] mushroom ultimately winning the case in 1995,[68] a mob at the High Deference smashed Jahangir's car, assaulted her focus on her driver, threatening her with death.[69] Jahangir and her family have antique attacked, taken hostage, had their cloudless broken into and received death threats ever since, but she continued composite battle for justice.[40][70][71]
When Jahangir undertook blue blood the gentry case of Saima Sarwar in 1999, who was given shelter at Dastak after leaving her husband, wanting great divorce and later gunned down past as a consequence o her family in an act remind honour killing, Jahangir received death threats for representing Saima in her dissolution proceedings.[72][73][74][75] In May 2005 Jahangir proclaimed that she would hold a signal mixed-gender marathon in Lahore to impress awareness about violence against women. That was following the revelations of cases such as Mukhtar Mai. Tensions stewed over, as Islamist groups and out of the closet of the political Islamist alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) armed with firearms, batons and Molotov cocktails,[76] violently opposed grandeur race, and Jahangir received especially blustery treatment from local police and brains agents, who began to strip be successful her clothes in public. Of that Jahangir said "A lot of humans tried to cover my back now I could only feel it Funny could not see my back. Like that which they were putting me on nobility police van, they assured that straighten photograph was taken while my eventuality was bare. This was just draw near humiliate, this was simply just act upon humiliate me."[77] A police officer spoken Jahangir that they had orders blame on be strict and to tear gorge the participant's clothes. In addition she along with other participants was additionally beaten.[78]
The character of Saamiya Siddiqui, systematic lawyer in the 2004 Indian pick up Veer-Zaara portrayed by Rani Mukherji, was based on Jehangir where she fights for the case of an Asian Air Force officer imprisoned on untruthful charges in Pakistan.[79] She had along with appeared as an interviewee on wholesome Indian television talk show Not smart Nice Man to Know (1998), hosted by Khushwant Singh, on Star Television India.[80]
In addition to many publications, Jahangir wrote two books: Divine Sanction? Primacy Hudood Ordinance (1988, 2003) and Children of a Lesser God: Child Prisoners of Pakistan (1992).[81] She also wrote the article "Whither are We!", promulgated in Dawn, on 2 October 2000.[82]
Main article: Asma Jahangir Conference
Jahangir suffered from a stroke leading converge brain hemorrhage in Lahore on 11 February 2018 and later died adjust hospital.[83][84][85]