Legacy of bravery

The late Asma Jahangir did not need awards as validation for her life’s work. For Asma, helping people and fighting for justice was reward enough. Still it is important to keep the memories of her struggle and accomplishment alive as inspiration for future generations. The posthumous awarding of the UN Human Rights Award to Asma is a fitting tribute to a person who was wholly committed to fighting dictatorship and giving comfort to the oppressed around the world. Indeed she spent her entire life doing just that, beginning with her fight against the Yahya Khan dictatorship where she was responsible for fighting for a historic judgement ruling that the detention of her father and others under martial law regulations was unlawful. She was at the forefront of the fights against the Zia and Musharraf dictatorships and always spoke out for the constitution and for rule of law. As the head of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a founder member of the Women’s Action Forum and head of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Asma was always ready to defend those falsely accused of blasphemy, protect women threatened by ‘honour’ killings and track down missing people who had been abducted by the state.

Asma’s activism was not restricted to just Pakistan. After her death in February, there has been an outpouring of love for Asma throughout the world, mostly from the marginalised communities she fought to protect. She became a truly global giant of the fight for human rights. Asma was one of the most vociferous protesters against the Iraq war, and defender of the rights of Kashmiris. She worked in various capacities for the UN, first as a special rapporteur on extrajudicial and summary killings and then on freedom of religion and belief. Her bravery also earned her a lot of enemies, who felt threatened by her activism and tried to malign her. In her lifetime, Asma Jahangir was subjected to some of the worst slurs. No award can fill the void left by Asma’s passing but recognition from the UN does at least show that there are still those who appreciate the monumental work she did to make the world a better and safer place.