ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prominent lawyer and human rights activist, Asma Jahangir, passed away in Lahore after suffering a cardiac arrest on Sunday. She was 66 and is survived by a son and two daughters.
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in message lauded her immense contributions toward democracy and the rule of law.
“Her demise as a great loss for the legal fraternity,” he said.
Dr. Mehdi Hassan, Chairman Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), told Arab News that Jahangir was among the founding members of the HRCP in 1984, and she always struggled for rule of law and equal rights of all citizens in the country.
“Her sudden death has left a void that cannot be filled,” Hassan said while trying to hold back his tears.
Asma Jahangir was the voice of marginalized people, “She was a champion of democracy and a staunch voice for civil rights of marginalized segments of the society,” he added.
Jahangir was born in Lahore on January 27, 1952. She complained of pain in her chest on Saturday night and was rushed to a hospital in Lahore where she breathed her last.
She emerged as a strong voice against ex-president General Ziaul Haq in the 1980s and was jailed for a brief period in 1983 for demanding the restoration of democracy in Pakistan.
Justice (r) Nasira Javed Iqbal remembered Asma Jahangir as “a torchbearer of women rights.”
“It is a great loss to women especially those who are marginalized in our society,” she said. “Asma Jahangir was a voice against patriarchy and oppression.”
She urged the lawyers’ fraternity and human rights activists to follow in Jahangir’s footsteps by raising their voice against the powerful and standing by the poor and deprived.
Another senior lawyer and human rights activist Sharafat Ali told Arab News that Jahangir had struggled to build strong institutions, genuine democracy and civil rights throughout her life. “The best way to pay tribute to her is to follow the path that she tread,” he said.
Ali said the deceased fought against military dictators and stood against injustices in the society, besides playing an active role for independent and transparent judicial system in the country.
Asma Jahangir was one of the leading members of the famous lawyers’ movement in Pakistan that began in March 2007 for the restoration of judiciary and was also put under house arrest by the General (r) Pervez Musharraf.
Ali Ahmad Kurd, a senior lawyer and one of the renowned members of the lawyers’ movement, remembered her as a “compassionate, intelligent and brave lawyer and human rights activist.”
“Her contribution for the rule of law, democracy and women’s rights in Pakistan will always be remembered,” he said. “Nobody can fill the void that her death has created.”
Senior lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan said that Jahangir was a towering figure and nobody could match her services in the fields of human rights, law and civil liberties. “She was one of the best lawyers and human rights activists the country has produced since its independence in 1947,” he said.
Her lifelong work for the causes like democracy, rule of law and civil rights nominated her to win numerous national and international awards including a UNESCO/Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights and an Officier de la Légion d’honneur by France.
She also received the 2014 Right Livelihood Award and the 2010 Freedom Award.
Condolences and tributes poured in on social media from across the globe, as the deceased was a well-known figure across the world for her meaningful contributions to improve the lives of the downtrodden.
High officials of the government including the president, the prime minister, members of the civil society and senior politicians from all political parties also expressed their dismay over the sudden demise of Jahangir and prayed for her soul.
“She was an outspoken and courageous lady, and had risen to prominence by sheer dint of hard work, diligence and commitment to the legal profession,” Supreme Court judges said in a statement.
Pakistan’s human rights lawyer Asma Jahangir passes away
Pakistan’s human rights lawyer Asma Jahangir passes away
Pakistan’s deputy PM says country will not send forces to Gaza to disarm Hamas
- Ishaq Dar says Pakistan open to peacekeeping but Gaza’s internal security is Palestinian responsibility
- Pakistan’s top religious clerics from different schools have warned against sending forces to Palestine
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Saturday Pakistan was willing to contribute to an international peacekeeping force in Gaza, though it would not deploy troops to disarm or de-weaponize Hamas.
The statement follows media reports saying Washington views Pakistan as a potentially significant contributor given its battle-hardened military and wants it to be part of International Stabilization Force (ISF), which is part of United States President Donald Trump’s 20-point framework for a Gaza peace plan.
The plan announced by Trump at the White House on September 29 was formally adopted at the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit in October. Co-chaired by Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the summit brought together leaders from 27 countries to sign the “Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity.”
Deployment of troops from Muslim-majority countries during a transitional stabilization phase is a key part of the plan before the war-ravaged Palestinian territory moves toward reconstruction and a longer-term political settlement.
“If they say that we should go and start fighting, disarm Hamas, de-weaponize them, and go and destroy the tunnels that Hamas has built until now, that is not our job,” Dar, who is also the country’s foreign minister, told reporters during a year-end briefing in Islamabad.
He emphasized there was clarity between Pakistan’s civil and military leadership over the matter.
“We have a very complete understanding on this matter that we cannot do that kind of work,” he added.
The deputy prime minister said Pakistan had been using the term “peacekeeping” and had never used the phrase “peace enforcement” while discussing the force.
“I have been very clear: Pakistan will be happy to join if the mandate is not peace enforcement and disarming and de-weaponizing Hamas.”
The government’s stance comes amid growing domestic pressure over the issue.
On Monday, a group of Pakistan’s top religious leaders, chaired by prominent scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani, warned the government against yielding to what they described as international pressure to send forces to Gaza.
In a joint statement from Karachi, the clerics — representing Deobandi, Barelvi, Ahl-e-Hadees and Shia schools of thought — said that Washington wanted Muslim countries to send their forces to Gaza to disarm Hamas.
“Several Muslim governments have already refused this, and pressure is being increased on Pakistan,” it added.
Addressing such concerns, Dar said Pakistan would not land its forces in Palestine to “fight Muslims.”
Israel has repeatedly called for the disarmament of Hamas as a precondition for any long-term settlement, and the United Nations Security Council has also endorsed the ISF framework in November.
However, Dar maintained during the media briefing the internal security of Gaza was the Palestinian responsibility.
“The Palestinian Authority, their government, it is their job, it is the job of their law enforcement agency,” he said
The deputy prime minister also highlighted Pakistan’s involvement in the “Arab Islamic Group of Eight,” including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkiye and Indonesia, which has been coordinating on the crisis.
He said the efforts of these countries had brought some peace to Palestine and reduced bloodshed.
“Our declared policy is that there should be an independent two-state solution,” he continued while calling for pre-1967 borders.
