Senate pays glowing tributes

The Upper House of the Parliament on Tuesday paid glowing tributes to leading lawyer and human rights champion Asma Jahangir for her services for rule of law, upholding the supremacy of the Constitution and democracy throughout her life. In a special reference held in honor of late Asma who breathed her last on Sunday, the lawmakers from across the political divide in the Senate termed her an iron lady and an icon of struggle for human rights and woman empowerment.
Taking part in the debate, Senator Taj Haider of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said that today the state is perhaps tired of unleashing oppression and now 200-300 people could held it hostage. He added it now depends on the people to harness their energies for welfare and progress of Pakistan or let the state witness destruction. He continued that the capitalists and market forces are trying to make the legislature their hostage, while the media is also a corporate sector with some media owners have fixed their own policies.
"The media is being enslaved and its freedom is being snatched, which used to be a strong voice for the oppressed people and their rights," he claimed. Asma, he pointed out, waged a war for the rule of law, constitutionalism and strengthening of the state institutions. Senator Haider lamented that the state institutions are supposed to safeguard the rights of masses whereas these appear to be protecting the elite.
"Elected representatives of people have to protect people and their rights and resolve their problems in a democratic dispensation: no one will come from heaven to do this," he emphasized. To fight a war against the capitalists and put Pakistan in right direction, he contended, is in fact a war of truth, which all would have to wage collectively.
Minister for Climate Change Senator Mushahidullah Khan, who was the last speaker, said all those with whom Asma stood in difficult times are feeling "orphaned". He believed that her services for humanity and the rule of law are no less that of Mother Teresa and Abdul Sattar Edhi. "There was no specific field for her to be known, as she was a multidimensional figure and this was because she was a daring lady. I don't think there will be no more people like her but they will achieve prominence only by following her path or people like her," the minister maintained.
He said that Asma had contributed fully to campaigns for restoration of democracy, rule of law and freedom of judiciary. Others who spoke during the reference included Usman Kakar, Sehar Kamran, Javed Abbasi, Kalsoom Parveen, Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldeni, Ilyas Bilour, Azam Musakhail, Maulana Tanvirul Haq Thanvi, Shahid Syed, Gayan Chand, Mir Kabeer, Ghous Bakhsh Niazi Gul Bashra, Sitara Ayaz, Nuzhat Sadiq, Karim Khawaja and Saleem Zia.
They showered praise on the late human right activist for strongly resisting four dictators including Ayub, Yahya, Zia and Musharraf despite being a lady and that she never compromised on her principles, which at times, politicians tend to do. She was also termed as Joan of Arc of this region. Mashhadi said that Asma waged a struggle for the Quaid's tolerant and progressive Pakistan.
Senator Gayan Chand said that Asma hated hatred and was fiercely opposed to sectarian hatred and militancy who rendered services for the weak and poor segments of the society including women, children and minorities. He claimed that late Benazir Bhutto had once offered her to become judge of the Supreme Court but she declined.
Some senators noted that she was among a few who openly spoke against the court judgment regarding disqualification of ex-Premier Nawaz Sharif. Senator Jamaldeni recalled she braved tough conditions and even threat to her life to visit Balochistan at the time of an operation against Akbar Bugti and was the first to raise her voice against the policy of "kill and dump." He added that she also spoke on what he called the excesses committed on Nawaz Sharif and the bid to defame him.
Senator Kakar said that Asma served Pakistan selflessly and never had a desire for status. He recalled how certain clerics would give her obnoxious titles for her principled position on issues, including the menace of sectarianism and religious narrow-mindedness. "Even today, there are some members of the Parliament who don't want supremacy of the Parliament and pay no attention to upholding democratic values," he said. Senator Javed Abbasi recalled Asma's struggle for freedom of judiciary when judges were in confinement.