Asma Jahangir, fearless Pakistani rights activist, dies at 66

ISLAMABAD — Asma Jahangir, a leading Pakistani rights activist, fearless critic of the military’s interference into politics and a staunch defender of the rule of law, died Sunday in Lahore. She was 66.

The death was confirmed by her daughter Munizae Jahangir, who said the cause was a heart attack.

Jahangir, a human rights lawyer, had a reputation of speaking truth to power and defending the weak and the marginalized, women and minorities against injustice. She gained international acclaim for being the voice of conscience in a country where liberal, secular voices have been continuously under threat.

She was the founding chairwoman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent group, and was a trustee of the International Crisis Group. She won several local and international awards and served as the United Nations rapporteur on human rights and extrajudicial killings.

Born on Jan. 27, 1952, into an affluent family in Lahore, Asma Jilani Jahangir studied at the Convent of Jesus and Mary, receiving her bachelor’s degree from Kinnaird College in Lahore. She received her law degree from Punjab University in Lahore in 1978.