PAK ACTIVIST ASMA JEHANGIR DIES AT 66
LAWYER WAS OUTSPOKEN CRITIC OF THE COUNTRY’S MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT
LAHORE: Asma Jehangir, one of Pakistan’s most prominent right activists and lawyers, died on Sunday of a heart attack in Lahore aged 66, her daughter said.
News of Jehangir’s sudden death shook political, social and media circles in Pakistan, as well as government ranks. President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and others offered condolences.
Jehangir suffered a heart attack late on Saturday night and was rushed to hospital where she died early on Sunday, her daughter Muneeze said.
Born on January 27 in 1952, Jehangir had a prominent career both as a lawyer and rights activist. She has served as chairwoman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, and was widely respected for her outspoken criticism of the country’s militant and extreme Islamist groups and unparalleled record as rights activist.
Jehangir also served as president of the Supreme Court’s bar association and was a UN rapporteur on human right and extrajudicial killings.
She was on Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential women.
A fierce defender of democracy, she often criticised Pakistan’s military and intelligence. She defended minority Christians charged with blasphemy, an offence that under Pakistan’s controversial law carries the death penalty.
She was repeatedly threatened by the country’s militant religious right whom she criticized loudly and often.
A champion of human rights, Jehangir was unafraid to speak loudly against those attacking minority religions and women. She won scores of international awards. Several years ago, she briefly sent her family out of the country following threats from militant groups.
Zohra Yousuf, a former chairwoman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said she lost a “great friend and great warrior of human rights.”