Asma Jagangir is a renowned lawyer, social activists and co founder of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. This brief biography will highlight her personal life and achievements during her 66 years.
Asma Jahangir was born on 27th January 1952 in the house of Malik Ghulam Jilani who was a civil servant turned politician after retirement. To know how Asma spent her early age it is important to know the political repression his father faced.
Her father was arrested in 1958 during General Ayub’s era when she was just 6 years old. Her father was again arrested in 1971 during Yahya Khan dictatorship and later during Bhutto’s presidency.
Her first achievement as a lawyer was filing a petition for her father in Lahore High Court, the petition was dismissed but she appealed in Supreme Court and won her won case.
Asma completed her B.A from Kinnaird College in 1978 and then received Bachelor’s in Law from Punjab University. She also received honorary doctorate from renowned universities such as from:
- University of St. Gallen (Switzerland)
- Queens University (Canada)
- Simon Fraser University (Canada)
- Cornell University (USA)
She started her career as a lawyer and later established a firm specialized in custodial cases, divorce and maintenance payments. This was the start of her women rights activism for which she later established Women’s Action Forum.
During the government of General Zia Ul Haq she opposed the implementation of Islamic laws relating to women calling it discrimination and against equality. This was the start of her life as an activist after which she become a symbol of women empowerment, liberalism and anti-establishment.
Under Women’s Action Forum she protesting against Zia Ul Haq’s regime proposed Law of Evidence. She along with fellow lawyers came on streets and were beaten and arrested by Police. Later she established the first legal Aid in Pakistan ‘AGHS Legal Aid’ which also runs a shelter for women.
[junkie-alert style=”green”] One of the biggest achievements of Asma Jahangir was co-founding Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in 1987. She remained the head of HRCP from 1987 till 2011. [/junkie-alert]
Asma Jahangir received several national and international awards for her struggle for women empowerment and human rights, some prominent awards she received are:
- Hilal-i-Imtiaz
- Sitara-i-Imtiaz
- Freedom Award
- Right Livelihood Award
- UNESCO Bilbao Prize for Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights
- Officier de la Legion d’honneur
- Martin Ennals Award
- Ramon Magsaysay Award
- Four Freedoms Award
- Leo Eitinger Award
She was the first women who become President of Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan, no women before or after her was able to head the bar.
Asma Jahangir also spoke against the blasphemy law for which she was criticized by the vast majority of the population. She believed in liberalism and propagated women rights according to western world & spoke against blasphemy law creating an environment where she was perceived as pro-western and anti-islamic.
She also advocated the rights of missing persons & those who were living under detention of military. She died on 11th February 2018 in Lahore due to brain haemorrhage. Her husband name was Tahir Jahangir, who is a businessman from Lahore. She left two daughters Munizae Jahangir, Sulema Jahangir and a son.