The mortal remains of Asma Jahangir were laid to rest in her hometown after her funeral prayers were offered at Qadhafi Stadium yesterday. No private citizen in this country (with the exception of Abdul Sattar Edhi and Dr Ruth Pfau) has earned as much public love and respect as did Asma Jahangir. She spent all her adult life fighting for the rights of oppressed sections of society, standing for the rule of law and democracy. She first rose to prominence in the dark days of General Zia's rule as a leader of the newly formed Women's Action Forum, challenging the regime's anti-women laws. During the 1983 Movement for the Restoration of Democracy she was arrested and imprisoned along with some other women. Later she had several brushes with military dictatorships of both Generals Zia and Musharraf.
Asma worked selflessly for the principles she believed in, never seeking an office of power. An eminent lawyer, she used her professional expertise to give a voice to the voiceless. She was everywhere championing the rights of the weak whether they were battered women, oppressed minorities, bonded labour, or exploited children. Together with her sister Hina Jilani she established, in their law firm, a legal aid cell for women who could not afford lawyers' fees providing them with gratis services, also setting up a shelter home for those needing refuge. In 1987, she co-founded the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, which came to be widely respected for defending human rights, and meticulously recording abuses in its annual reports. As a rights campaigner, in 2004 she was appointed UN special rapporteur on freedom of religion, a position she held for the next six years. She also served as the co-Chair of the South Asia Forum for Human Rights and as Vice President of the International Federation for Human Rights. Asma went on to win a long list of national and international awards for her humanitarian work, but she made an indelible mark on the public mind with her fiery and fearless spirit. Small in physical frame she was a giant of a person who wouldn't blink an eye in the face of injustice and bigotry. In several instances, she took up cases other lawyers wouldn't accept. She defended a blasphemy accused Salamat Masih at the risk of her life. In fact, she told friends she was prepared to give her life if that was the price to be paid for defending the defenseless. And till the end of her life, she did not hesitate to shake her finger at the powers-that-be. No wonder, after her sudden death even her detractors have praised her bravery.
Her infectious belief in peace and justice also touched people across the border. Several prominent Indians have paid her glowing tributes in varying words as the Subcontinent's bravest liberal and the boldest fighter for human rights. Asma Jehangir's inspiring presence will be missed for long.