KARACHI: Honouring the memory of the late activist and lawyer Asma Jahangir, who also was the first woman to serve as the Supreme Court Bar Association’s president, a collection of tributes, titled ‘Our Asma Jahangir’, was launched at The Second Floor (T2F) late on Friday evening.
The book, compiled by Zulfiqar Halepoto, has tributes in English, Urdu and Sindhi from various publications and other sources.
The discussion on the book was moderated by lawyer Javed Qazi, and the discussants included Justice (retd) Majida Rizvi, activist Uzma Noorani and Kaiser Bengali.
Speaking about Asma, Qazi said that the word “fear” was unknown to her and she didn’t leave any battles untouched; rather, she made sure that she was present for everyone who needed her support in any way.
Kaiser Bengali said that she made a lot of tangible contribution to the society and represented those who were not represented by anyone.
“She worked her way through with an impartial integrity, and understood the changing dynamics that she would stand by the oppressed even when they had been on the side of the oppressor,” he said. He added that Asma possessed an analytical mind and believed in solving a problem by addressing its core, and if activists would adopt this strategy and make it a part of their lives, it would be possible to achieve the things she did.
Justice Majida recounted that she’d often run into Asma when she would head to the Supreme Court, and that their opinions and visions were the same.
Referring to Asma’s funeral, she said that even in death she was able to challenge the norm that only men could participate in funerals. She said that the deceased activist had a heart of gold and helped a Japanese woman get the custody of her son in Pakistan by not charging a penny; rather, she paid around a million on her behalf.
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