‘ Brave’ Pak activist Asma dies of cardiac attack
■
Renowned Pakistani lawyer and human rights activist Asma Jahangir of cardiac arrest on Sunday. She was 66. Doctors said she died of a cardiac arrest in Lahore and was brought to the hospital on Saturday night.
Born in 1952 and raised in Lahore, Ms Jahangir studied at the Convent of Jesus and Mary before receiving her bachelors degree from Kinnaird and Law degree from the Punjab University in 1978.
In 1987, she co- founded the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and became its secretary general until 1993 when she was elevated as commission’s chairperson.
Ms Jahangir was also cochair of South Asians for Human Rights. She was appointed United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Arbitrary or summary executions and later as the United Nations Rapporteur of Freedom of religion or belief.
She was put under house arrest and later imprisoned
■
■
in 1983 for participating in the movement for the restoration of political and fundamental rights during the military regime.
She was again put under house arrest in November 2007 after the imposition of emergency rule in Pakistan. She has represented several clients who were denied their fundamental rights. Asma Jahangir defended cases of minorities, women and children in prisons.
She penned two books, Divine Sanction? The Hadood Ordinance ( 1988) and Children of a Lesser God: Child Prisoners of Pakistan ( 1992). She was recipient of several national awards, including Sitara- I- Imtiaz in 1995.