Asma Jahangir moot begins tomorrow

LAHORE:The Asma Jahangir Legal Aid Cell (AGHS) will be hosting the Asma Jahangir Conference (AJCONF) on Saturday (tomorrow) at a local hotel.

The two-day event, titled ‘People’s Mandate: Safeguarding Civil Rights in South Asia’, is being organised in collaboration with the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and Pakistan Bar Council (PBC). The AJCONF is committed to safeguarding civil and human rights in the region. Azam Nazir Tarar, alongside justices of the Supreme Court and High Courts in Pakistan and ambassadors representing Europe, the UK and Norway will participate in the opening ceremony.

Politicians including Yusuf Raza Gilani, Shahid Khaqan Abbassi, Abdul Malik Baloch, Akhtar Mengal, Barrister Syed Ali Zafar, Farooq Naek, Nafisa Shah, Shehla Raza, Khurram Dastagir, Baba Jan, Taj Haider, Farhatullah Babar, Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, Ayesha Raza Farooq, Raheela Durrani, Suraiya Bibi, and Samar Bilour will be speaking at the event. Justice LTB Dehideniya, former judge of the Supreme Court in Sri Lanka and chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, with Justice Markandey Katju, former judge of the Supreme Court of India, former Justice of the High Court of Denmark Frederick Waage, former Attorney General Irfan Qadir, Justice (Retired) Nasira Iqbal, President Sindh High Court Association Salahuddin Ahmed, and other panelists will discuss legal issues across South Asia and in the Middle East.

Political and social analysts, such as Michael Kugelman (US), Mehbouba Seraj (Afghanistan) and Roshmi Goswami and Syeda Hamid (India) will provide insights and commentary on the recent elections held across South Asia. Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Shawan Jabarin of the Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq; peace activist from West Bank, Palestine, Reverend Munther Isaac Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, Palestine, and Cecilia Bailet UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and International Solidarity will speak on the current Gaza crisis and the breach of international law.

Amongst high profile speakers are Patricia Gossman, Associate Director (Asia division) Human Rights Watch, John Cushnahan former member of the European Parliament, Reem Alsalem of the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls, Frederik Rawski Head of Human Rights Policy APAC, Meta, Tomas Fernandez Villazala Expert in Criminology and Head of the Hate Crimes National Office in Spain and Diego Solana Gimenez Lawyer and Foreign Affairs Int’l Advisor, World Jurist Association Spain.

Pakistani and foreign journalists including Owen Bennett Jones will attend the conference to discuss issues related to freedom of expression and digital rights. Discussions on the rights of women and the transgender community will take place at the conference, along with conversations addressing issues of nationalism and climate change – pressing topics of today.