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Human rights activist Asma Jahangir dies

February 12, 2018 00:00:00


LAHORE, Feb 11 (Reuters): Pakistani human rights (HR) activist Asma Jahangir has passed away in Lahore at the age of 66.

The senior lawyer suffered a cardiac arrest and was taken to the hospital, where she died.

Born in Lahore in 1952, Jahangir is the daughter of Pakistani politician and former West Pakistan Awami League Vice President Malik Ghulam Jilani.

Jilani was imprisoned by the Pakistani government several times for his outspoken views, which included criticising Pakistan's military actions during the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh.

Jahangir has criticised the Pakistan government's response to the war crimes trials in Bangladesh.

Jahangir graduated from Kinnaird College and received an LLB from Punjab University. She joined the Lahore High Court in 1980 and the Supreme Court in 1982. She became the first female president of the Supreme Court Bar Association.

She was also the co-founder of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the Women's Action Forum.

The democracy activist was jailed in 1983 for her participation in the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy during the regime of military dictator Ziaul Haque.

She was also placed under house arrest for her active role in the 2007 Lawyers' Movement after President Pervez Musharraf suspended Supreme Court Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.


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