Asma Jahangir, the iron lady, will be remembered as a champion of human rights
LARKANA: The sad and sudden demise of leading lawyer and human rights activist Asma Jahangir has left the nation in shock. She was liberal, competent, committed, courageous, clearheaded and an independent lady. She had witnessed hard and testing times ever since she was young, as her father, Malik Ghulam Jilani, was detained by the military regime of Yahya Khan. She proved to be a fierce fighter.
She fought intrepidly against dictators. Being a pro-democracy activist, she stood by the late Benazir Bhutto during the martial law of General Ziaul Haq and was put behind bars in 1983 for actively participating in the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy that was launched against Zia.
She also stood like a rock during the 2007 Lawyers’ Movement for the restoration of judiciary and liberating the judges from illegal confinement by General Musharraf, which led to her house arrest. Although she struggled for the restoration of the judiciary, she never hesitated to express disagreement on certain judgments delivered by the apex court either, she also sometimes criticised her own legislative house over its judicial overreach and the behaviour of judicial officers.
Asma was blunt and outspoken, conveyed her concerns in no uncertain terms; she openly censured the security establishment on civil-military divide on policy matters. She was courageous enough to condemn militant and extremist elements and Islamic jihadists in the country. Thus, she never compromised her principles she had set to follow.
She championed humanitarianism and as a result co-founded the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, and the Women’s Action Forum. From these platforms, she raised voice for the marginalised communities.
Asma Jahangir, the iron lady, will be remembered as a champion of human rights and for her efforts to build a tolerant and democratic Pakistan. May she rest in power.
Nazeer Ahmed Arijo
Published in The Express Tribune, February 13th, 2018.
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