Asma Jahangir

Asma Jahangir, born on January twenty-seventh, nineteen fifty-two, was a distinguished Pakistani human rights lawyer and social activist. She co-founded and chaired the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the AGHS Legal Aid Cell, becoming a prominent figure in the Lawyers' Movement. Her commitment to human rights extended to her role as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief and as a trustee at the International Crisis Group.

Raised in Lahore, Jahangir's educational journey began at the Convent of Jesus and Mary, followed by a Bachelor of Arts from Kinnaird College and a Bachelor of Laws from Punjab University Law College in nineteen seventy-eight. She joined the chamber of Barrister Ijaz Hussain Batalvi and was called to the Lahore High Court in nineteen eighty, later gaining admission to the Supreme Court in nineteen eighty-two. Her activism for democracy led to her imprisonment in nineteen eighty-three during the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy against the military regime of Zia-ul-Haq.

In nineteen eighty-six, Jahangir moved to Geneva, where she served as vice-chair of Defence for Children International until nineteen eighty-eight. Upon her return to Pakistan, she co-founded the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, becoming its Secretary-General in nineteen eighty-seven and later its chairperson in nineteen ninety-three. Her unwavering dedication to justice saw her placed under house arrest in November two thousand seven following the imposition of emergency rule.

Jahangir's leadership in the Lawyers' Movement marked her as Pakistan's first woman to serve as President of the Supreme Court Bar Association. She was actively involved in various human rights organizations, including co-chairing the South Asia Forum for Human Rights and serving as vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights. Her tenure as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion spanned from August two thousand four to July two thousand ten, during which she participated in inquiries into human rights violations in Sri Lanka and Israeli settlements.

Throughout her life, Jahangir received numerous accolades for her tireless advocacy, including the Right Livelihood Award in two thousand fourteen, the Ramon Magsaysay Award in two thousand five, and the Nishan-e-Imtiaz posthumously awarded in March two thousand eighteen. Her literary contributions include works such as 'The Hudood Ordinance: A Divine Sanction?' and 'Children of a Lesser God,' reflecting her deep engagement with human rights issues.