Sunday, February 11, 2018
North Korea - Kim Jong-Un's Sister 'Could Have Been Ideal Person for Talks' With US - Analyst
Sputnik: How significant is Kim Jong-Un's sister's visit to South Korea and the meeting with the South's president in particular, in your view?
Tong Zhao: I think it's a very significant development. Obviously, Miss Kim Yo-Jong, she is the younger sister of Kim Jong-Un that the leader of North Korea has a very close personal relationship with the North Korean top leader and therefore her visit bears special meaning to South Korea. She also delivered a personal invitation from Kim Jong-Un for President Moon Jae-in to visit North Korea sometime this year. And given her high status in North Korea, she would also be an ideal person if the Unites States would like to reach out to North Korea. So, I think the fact that Kim Jong-Un was willing to send his younger sister to South Korea the first time that a family member of the Kim Jong-Un party set foot in South Korea, I think by itself is very significant. Sputnik: North Korean leader reportedly invited South Korean president to Pyongyang. How much of a game changer would this meeting be if ever took place?
Tong Zhao: If it can take place, I think it would represent a major breakthrough in the inter-Korean relationship. The last summit meeting between North Korean and South Korean leaders took place in 2007, more than ten years ago. And if we consider how tense the situation had been just a few weeks ago over the peninsula, this invitation really represents something big. However, I think it's too early to say that this meeting will take place, because ultimately it depends on the attitude of the United States.
Sputnik: We know that the Olympic Games is a great medium for connectivity of people and countries and nations. How much do the Olympic Games contribute to the relations between the two neighboring countries? Do you think that these Winter Olympics have been a contributory factor?
Tong Zhao: Oh, absolutely. I think, both North and South Koreans view these Winter Games as a perfect opportunity to thaw their relations and improve their ties. North Korea's objective is very clear. They showed off their nuclear weapons just one day before the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, and then, still, their athletes were welcomed to these Winter Games. That sends an implicit message that North Korea can maintain its nuclear weapons and still be welcomed by the international community to participate in this important international event. So the North Korean objective is to keep its existing nuclear weapons and then focus on improving its relations with the outside world on that basis.
Sputnik: What's your particular point of view on President Moon's statement that an early resumption of dialogue between the United States now on the north is needed for the development of the South- and North Korean relationship? How likely is this resumption at this point?
Tong Zhao: Right now, South Korea is in a very difficult position. President Moon is very sandwiched between the North Korean leader and the American president. He has to cater to the wishes on both sides, and his wiggle-room is very small. We have seen a major improvement in the inter-Korean relationship, but again, as President Moon Jae-in said, in order for the north-south relationship to improve further, it would require a direct talk between North Korea and the United States; it would require some progress in engaging North Korea about its existing nuclear capabilities. North Korea has to make some concessions about its nuclear weapons. That's the precondition for the US talking with North Korea, and all the signals so far we've seen from Washington are very stubborn. The US insists that North Korea has to commit to the denuclearization and be willing to talk about denuclearization before any direct talk can happen. I think the US knows that the sanctions on North Korea will take time to have the full impact on North Korea. The US is not in a hurry to talk with North Korea right now. So I think that makes it less likely that we will see a direct improvement of North Korea-US relations in the near-term future.
https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201802111061562188-kim-jong-un-sister-talks-us/
‘They can’t beat us fairly’ — Lavrov on Olympic ban of Russia
The doping scandal that keeps many Russian athletes from competing in top events, including the ongoing Winter Olympics, was just part of the West’s devious strategy against Moscow, Russia’s foreign minister has said.
Sergey Lavrov said barring dozens of Russians from the games was “part of this unfair competition, because the Americans apparently can no longer beat us in a fair fight. They believe that taking back and preserving uncontested leadership in global sports requires sidelining the competition.”
The assertion came in an interview the minister gave to Rossia-1 news channel, aired on Sunday. Lavrov said in other areas he saw the same approach, “the use of unilateral, coercive, illegitimate, unlawful actions to obtain the advantage.”
Lavrov believes that the US and other Western powers are now fighting dirty because they cannot deal with the fact that Russia resurged after a low point in the 1990s, when much of its government was influenced by various foreign advisors pushing the agendas of their native countries. Russia has since realized it was “not a newborn country but a nation with a thousand-year long history” that its citizens should be proud of.
This was a shock for the people who falsely thought they could act with impunity against Russia. I believe they still cannot deal with this shock,” he added, saying the symptoms of the condition included the “Russiagate” scandal, an allegation that Russia somehow attacked American democracy during the 2016 presidential election. Lavrov says there will never be proof of such interference.
“They have been investigating this for a year and not a single fact has surfaced to corroborate these speculations,” he said. “If there were any facts, they would have been leaked by now. I know this is how the US system works. Everything gets leaked with so many people involved in all those hearings and investigations.”
The Russian minister said Moscow saw the current state of relations with the US as abnormal and expected it to be fixed in time. For its part, Russia will not take hasty action in retaliation to US moves like anti-Russian sanctions, to avoid fueling the hysteria and giving leverage to people wishing to escalate the tensions, he said.
Lavrov said he personally was “indifferent” to being listed on Washington’s latest list of Russian citizens who may be subjected to further sanctions. But he said he was initially baffled by the way the anti-Russian panic affected people in the US.
“I could not believe my eyes and ears, seeing and hearing many officials in Washington, in the administration and Congress, whom I knew personally — quite serious and smart, rational people. I was amazed to see them being stripped of every bit of sense by this mass psychosis,” he said.
MODI IN RAMALLAH: INDIA IS COMMITTED TO THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE’S INTERESTS
Abbas asks Modi to take active role in ensuring just peace. Parties sign $40 million agreement on development projects.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged his country's support to the Palestinian people during a visit to Ramallah on Saturday.
“I have assured President Abbas that India is committed to the Palestinian people’s interests,” Modi said in a joint press conference with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. “The relations between India and Palestine have stood the test of time."
Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that the two parties signed agreements worth $41.35 million to fund multiple Palestinian projects.
Abbas reportedly thanked India for its support for the Palestinian cause, saying the Palestinians count on India to play a role in peacemaking because of its position as a world power of great stature and weight.
He also rejected recent accusations by Israel and the US claiming the Palestinians have abandoned the peace process over the PA's rejection of the Americans as peace mediators.
“We have never rejected negotiations; we have been and are still ready for negotiations,” said Abbas.
Abbas reportedly thanked India for its support for the Palestinian cause, saying the Palestinians count on India to play a role in peacemaking because of its position as a world power of great stature and weight.
He also rejected recent accusations by Israel and the US claiming the Palestinians have abandoned the peace process over the PA's rejection of the Americans as peace mediators.
“We have never rejected negotiations; we have been and are still ready for negotiations,” said Abbas.
The Palestinians are trying to shore up international support for a process that will see multiple brokers replacing Washington as the sponsors of a future peace deal.
Ahmad Majdalani, a PLO Executive Committee member, said that improved relations between Israel and India could benefit the Palestinians.
“The growing ties between them could be positive, because now India has more leverage with Israel and can pressure it in our favor,” he said.
Over the past several months, Israel and India have upgraded ties, with their respective leaders visiting each others countries and inking cooperation agreements.
The senior PLO official stated further that Abbas and Modi will discuss bilateral relations between India and the PA, especially regarding information technology.
India has donated millions of dollars for a technology park that is under construction in Bir Zeit, a university town north of Ramallah.
The technology park will host a co-working space, a research and development program, an innovation center, a business center and other facilities, according to the park’s website.
“The growing ties between them could be positive, because now India has more leverage with Israel and can pressure it in our favor,” he said.
Over the past several months, Israel and India have upgraded ties, with their respective leaders visiting each others countries and inking cooperation agreements.
The senior PLO official stated further that Abbas and Modi will discuss bilateral relations between India and the PA, especially regarding information technology.
India has donated millions of dollars for a technology park that is under construction in Bir Zeit, a university town north of Ramallah.
The technology park will host a co-working space, a research and development program, an innovation center, a business center and other facilities, according to the park’s website.
Stability imperative in Afghanistan to ensure peace in Pakistan: Bilawal Bhutto
“It is imperative to have peace in Afghanistan to ensure peace in Pakistan,” he added.
“When we conduct operations from this side, nothing really happens to the people from Afghanistan but our people run and take refuge there. So next time it would be appropriate if Pakistan and Afghanistan work together,” he said. “If all of US, Nato can’t put Afghanistan back together again then what can Pakistan do alone?” Bilawal questioned.
Addressing the media, Bilawal said that PPP will contest the upcoming elections on their own. There will be room for coalition after the results come out to form a government provided the results are favourable.
He further added saying that there’s a political conspiracy brewing in some parts of the world against Pakistan and the country needs to ensure unity.
Bilawal also met with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at National Prayer Breakfast.
While addressing a function in Washington, Bilawal earlier said that extremism and terrorism are not only limited to the Muslim world. Bilawal said that there is a growing increase in terrorism in Pakistan and that democracy can win over extremism, but the biggest battle is of ideologies. “The battle is between modernity and extremism,” he said.
He further added that terrorism and extremism aren’t limited to the Muslim world only. Terrorism in the region has severely damaged the political and social balance. Extremism, climate change and unusual behaviour towards each other is the reason we are not united today.
#Pakistan - #AsmaJahangir - Asma Jehangir: a symbol of resistance, a votary of peace
By Mubashir Zaidi
Pakistan’s iron lady was a fierce opponent of dictatorships.
Born in Lahore on January 27, 1952, Ms. Jehangir had a prominent career both as a lawyer and a rights activist. After obtaining a law degree from the Punjab University in 1978, she started her career as an advocate at the judiciary.
She soon became a champion democracy activist and was subsequently imprisoned in 1983 for participating in the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy against the military rule of Zia-ul-Haq.
She braved death threats, beatings and imprisonment to win landmark human rights cases while standing up to dictators.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, which she helped create, made its name defending religious minorities and tackling highly charged blasphemy accusations along with cases of “honour” killings.
“There was a time that human rights was not even an issue in this country... Women’s rights was thought of as a Western concept. Now people do talk about women’s rights — political parties talk about it, even religious parties talk about it,” she once said.
She often defended minority Christians charged with blasphemy, an offence that carries the death penalty. She was repeatedly threatened by the country’s militant religious right whom she criticised loudly and often.
Ms. Jahangir has also taken up cases of missing persons and fought in the courts for their recovery free of cost. She played an active role in the famous lawyers’ movement in 2007 to restore Iftikhar Chaudhry as the Chief Justice of Pakistan. The movement later brought the fall of then President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.
Ms. Jehangir also served as president of the Supreme Court’s Bar Association and was a UN rapporteur on human right and extrajudicial killings. She was once on Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential women.
Of late, she had been critical of the Supreme Court for its ‘judicial activism’ and had also criticised the apex court for disqualifying Nawaz Sharif from the office of Prime Minister in July last year. She won numerous national and international awards for her struggle for the oppressed including the highest civilian honours Hilal-i-Imtiaz and Sitara-i-Imtiaz.
Ms. Jehangir is survived by her businessman husband, Tahir Jehangir, a son and two daughters.
Condolences poured in from within and outside the country. Leaders of all political parties paid rich tributes to her. President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi both expressed grief and sorrow. The President, in his condolence message, said that Ms. Jahangir played an unforgettable role towards upholding of democracy and human rights.
Mr. Abbasi lauded Ms. Jahangir for her immense contribution towards upholding rule of law, democracy and safeguarding human rights. He termed her demise as a great loss for legal fraternity.
Confronting dictatorship
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that Ms. Jahangir had always been in the forefront when it came to confronting dictatorship in the country. Supreme Court Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and other judges of the apex court also expressed deep sorrow and grief over the demise.
Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan said in a statement that Ms. Jehangir was not only a jewel of legal fraternity of Pakistan but also was a great human being. “She was the greatest and devoted supporter of Constitution... Her voice raised for the women’s rights, child abuse and women’s protection change the course of society rights in Pakistan,” the Bar said.
OP-ED Young Pashtuns have shown the mirror to ‘mainstream’ Pakistan
By Raza Rumi
This past fortnight Pakistan witnessed unprecedented mobilisation by the youth of tribal areas. Thousands protested seeking justice for Naqeebullah Mehsud brutally killed in a fake encounter by Karachi police — all in the name of counter terrorism. Mehsud’s death sparked national outrage and it soon became a metaphor for the historic injustices meted out to residents of tribal areas and the way millions have faced conflict, displacement and landmines since the start of US-led war on terror aided by Pakistan’s elites.
The protests are over for now after assurances from the government. But the movement for justice has just begun.
For 10 days, the youth of FATA were joined by many others within and outside the country. What started as a Mehsud Tahafuz Movement for cleaning of landmines in Waziristan turned into Justice for Naqeeb Mehsud movement after his extra-judicial killing in Karachi. The tribal maliks (or elders) from North and South Waziristan also joined them.
Organised by a youth activist, the protests remained peaceful, and resisted the control of any organised political factions. The mainstream media especially the TV channels repeated their odious practice of selective hysteria. For days, TV channels did not cover the protests. This was curious given the same band of reporters, anchors and media owners were eager to give disproportionate coverage to protests against the elected government[s]. Most recently, in November 2017, a pack of clerics received inordinate coverage and some even supported their acts of violence when the government tried to disperse the protestors.
Multiple jurisdictions and legal systems, discriminatory laws operate in the same country and create classes of citizenship. The people of FATA continue to be treated as second-class citizens and all talk of ‘reform’ founders at expediency of the civil-military elites
But this was not altogether unexpected. Much of what was said during the Pashtun long march and sit-in challenged the carefully nurtured myths about Pashtuns popular in ‘mainstream’ Pakistan. The ‘other’ told its story and reminded of the national disregard for the lives and livelihoods of Pashtuns. The aerial bombardments, forced displacement, and the encouragement and havens provided to violent extremists in FATA and KP over the years as part of the defence strategy. These stories are hard to tell on TV screens that are closely monitored and operate under unwritten but widely accepted norms of self-censorship.
Fazal Khan Advocate, father of a child who was killed in the 2014 APS attack by the Taliban, delivered a moving speech in which he raised the most pertinent question: since Pakistanis ‘own’ the national military, why should they not question its policies, especially when they have grave consequences for the citizenry? And he rightly cited the case of Eshanullah Eshan, former commander of Pakistani Taliban, who, for all practical purposes, is a ‘state guest’ while the parents of slain children in Peshawar attack seek justice.
It is a shame that successive regimes in Pakistan have continued the imperial policy of keeping FATA and its peoples as colonial subjects in ostensibly an ‘independent’ country claiming to own a constitution and international human rights’ obligations.
Last week, I wrote about the fast changing nature of Pakistan’s social and political landscape. The Pashtun long march and its 10-day long protest in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad testifies to how the marginalised are negotiating the contradictions of today’s Pakistan. The state structures are moribund and outdated. Multiple jurisdictions and legal systems, discriminatory laws operate in the same country and create classes of citizenship. The people of FATA continue to be treated as second-class citizens and all talk of ‘reform’ founders at expediency of the civil-military elites.
Youngsters from tribal areas are less willing to engage with the state structures as their elders have done in the past. Such differences were reported towards the end as the younger activists were unwilling to end the protests without written agreements. The way the youth of FATA view their predicament is also shaped by their individual and collective experiences. Manzoor Pashteen, the organizer of the long march, reportedly said, ‘I am safer on this road in Islamabad than my house in Waziristan’. This is true for many, many others.
A large number of FATA residents are internally displaced and now live in cities such as Karachi and urbanizing parts of KP. The marginal and the mainstream are not so distinct. New media, as evidenced during the Pashtun long march, have freed the youth from the earlier imperatives of gaining the attention of the ‘mainstream’ to make their voice heard. More importantly, a decade-long civilian interregnum has created a relative openness for such mobilisations to take place.
Such growing spaces also allow for contestations of state-approved political alignments. The full embrace of Pashtun identity by the protestors in Islamabad challenged the historic imposition of a hegemonic ‘national’ identity. For decades, segments of Pashtun elites have played along with the civil-military power wielders to further a sanitised nationalism but it seems that the younger generations are challenging that. Ethnicity-based politics will remain a reality and it needs to be accepted by powers-that-be. Democraticsation, howsoever flawed it might be, enables reconciliation of multiple political and social identities.
Efforts to suppress information flow failed with this impressive mobilisation. The taboo subject of missing persons is back in the national conversations. Muzzling information and punishing those who reported on it has not worked. It is imperative that the national political parties, the military and traditional media adjust to what is changing in their fiefdoms.
There is still a protracted battle for justice, democratisation and pro-people notions of security to be waged. The young Pashtuns have shown the way.
#Pakistan - #MashalKhan - ENTRENCHED BELIEFS - PAKISTAN MUST QUASH THE BELIEF THAT MURDER IS JUST SO LONG AS IT IS COMMITTED IN THE NAME OF RELIGION
PAKISTAN MUST QUASH THE BELIEF THAT MURDER IS JUST SO LONG AS IT IS COMMITTED IN THE NAME OF RELIGION
Last year, 23-year-old Mashal Khan was lynched at Mardan’s Abdul Wali Khan University in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province over rumors that he had committed blasphemy. The verdict on the killing has come from the Haripur Anti-Terrorism Court: one person gets death, five life imprisonments, 25 get three years in jail, and 26 have been acquitted. When the acquitted came out of jail they were greeted and lionized by the clerics of two major religious parties, the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam. The killers addressed a public meeting and vowed to kill again, if necessary, to prevent blasphemy.
Mashal Khan was clubbed to death by a mob after instigation from known elements not questioned by the court. The entire shameful scene was filmed on cellphones and it can be said that the acquitted 26 persons fully participated in the heinous crime. The court has already ruled on the basis of expert advice that Mashal Khan did not commit any blasphemy. He only had radical ideas for which Pakistan has no punishment on the statute book.
The clerical refusal to accept blasphemy-related court verdicts has solidified and boasts a large hinterland of supportive madrasas. In 2011, then-Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer was killed by a “pious” police guard for what he thought was blasphemy. When the killer was hanged by a judge too scared to stay in Pakistan after the verdict, clerics from all over the country protested and the killer was raised to the status of a saint complete with a much-visited mausoleum near Islamabad. On the other hand, far from giving him a mausoleum, mobs in Lahore will not let you even mourn Taseer.
The government, itself haunted by accusations of blasphemy from clerics often bribed by opponents, is at a loss to handle the situation after the Mashal Khan verdict. One killer belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, which is in power in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, is still at large; but the real question today is what to do with the 25 acquitted killers getting ready to repeat the crime for clerical approval. The government has claimed it will challenge the acquittals during appeals—but how can they hope to combat the mindset that there is nothing wrong with murder so long as it has been committed in the name of religion?
http://newsweekpakistan.com/entrenched-beliefs/
#Pakistan - Accountability for ex-military officers
AHEAD of a general election and as civilian politicians are subjected — rightly so — to greater scrutiny of their wealth and assets, the lopsided reality of accountability in the country has come into greater focus.
The elected representatives of the people ought to be held to higher standards of conduct than the average citizen. In fact, all those who seek public office should be held to similar standards of accountability.
So why is it that retired officers of the armed services who seek or have held public office, for example, cannot be scrutinised by the same accountability mechanisms that apply to non-military, civilian candidates?
Addressing that long-standing anomaly, the Islamabad High Court has cleared the way for the National Accountability Bureau to probe allegations of corruption against former president, retired Gen Pervez Musharraf.
Until now, NAB has interpreted its own powers restrictively and denied it had the authority to investigate retired members of the armed forces.
The landmark decision by the high court does not imply that the underlying complaint of corruption against Mr Musharraf is necessarily true.
Perhaps the former army chief does not possess assets greater than his known sources of income, as the complainant requesting a NAB inquiry has alleged.
But the court, in clarifying and expanding the powers of NAB, is helping lay down a much-needed rule of public life: accountability for all who seek or hold public office.
Indeed, for a figure who ruled Pakistan for nearly a decade, surprisingly little is known about Mr Musharraf’s wealth and assets.
While the income and perks of elected representatives, bureaucrats and even judges are public information, most estimates of the wealth and assets of senior members of the armed forces remain estimates.
A brief controversy after the retirement of former army chief Gen Raheel Sharif pertaining to a large tract of agricultural land allotted to him demonstrated that the public is actively shielded from knowing the official compensation for senior members of the military.
Opaqueness such as that, especially in an institution of enormous national importance, ought to be unacceptable in the 21st century.
The judgement is also welcome because as efforts continue to eventually replace the National Accountability Ordinance with a more robust and transparent accountability process, the principle of equal treatment of all will have to be considered.
There is simply no justification for retired members of the forces to be shielded from public accountability. Indeed, it would enhance the military’s reputation if its retired personnel seeking public office were subject to the same rules as civilians also seeking public office.
It is the willingness to carve out exceptions and special rules that has undermined the possibility of true accountability in the country over the decades.
With the issue of accountability likely to be at the centre of the next general election, new, universal rules need to be considered.
#AsmaJahangir - PPP is in shock on Asma Jahangir’s sudden death: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto
In his condolence message, the Chairman said that he was deeply shocked on receiving the news about her sudden death as she was not an ordinary person but her entire life was dedicated to people’s rights, supremacy of democracy and she lived a life of rights defender.
Her death is an irreparable and colossal loss of the entire nation, which would miss her for her dashing role she always played in the court rooms, on rights platforms and for her particular contribution towards creating awareness among the masses about their rights, said the PPP Chairman.
He said that Ms Asma Jehangir will be remembered for ages due to her committed and untiring struggle for democracy, supremacy of Parliament and constitutionalism.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that, “The PPP is in shock on Ms. Jahangir’s sudden death, which it feels is a gap that would never be filled.”
Her entire life was like a torch in darkness and she always remained to be a beacon of hope in moments of despair and despondence, he maintained.
He said that her services would be written in history with golden words and she will always be remembered in hearts. May the Almighty Allah rest her soul in eternal peace!, he prayed.
https://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/2018/02/11/ppp-is-in-shock-on-asma-jahangirs-sudden-death-ppp-chairman-bilawal-bhutto-zardari/
#AsmaJahangir - Asif Ali Zardari condoles the death of Asma Jahangir
Former President of Pakistan and President Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians Asif Ali Zardari has expressed profound grief and sorrow over the sudden death of human rights activist and eminent lawyer Asma Jahangir. He said that the death of Asma Jahangir is an irreplaceable loss for democratic forces and those who raise their voices for human rights.
Paying rich tributes to Asma Jahangir, former President said that she was a brave woman who showed resistance to dictatorships and struggled for restoration of democracy and constitution. Asif Ali Zardari said that she never compromised when it came to the principles of democracy and constitution.
He said that Asma Jahangir defied those who tried to sabotage human rights. Her death is a shock to the people of Pakistan in particular and democrats all over the world in general. He said that with the death of Asma Jahangir, a gap has been created which is impossible to fill.
Asif Ali Zardari said that the Bhutto family along with the Pakistan Peoples Party stands in solidarity with the bereaved family. He prayed to Almighty Allah to grant eternal peace to the departed soul and strength and fortitude to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss with equanimity.
https://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/
#Pakistan - Renowned Lawyer and Human Rights Activist Asma Jahangir Passes Away
Asma Jahangir, former president of Supreme Court Bar Association and a staunch human rights activist, passed away on Sunday in Lahore.
Asma Jahangir was rushed to a private hospital in Punjab’s provincial capital where she passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest earlier today.
Asma’s housemaid told the media that she was about to have breakfast when she suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.
Her funeral would be held outside Gaddafi Stadium on February 13 at 2.30 pm, announced the deceased’s family.
She co-founded the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and Women’s Action Forum.
She was a prominent figure in 2007 Lawyers’ movement which led to the restoration of Supreme Court Judges who were removed by Pervaiz Musharraf.
Asma was jailed in 1983 during the Military Dictator General Zia ul Haq’s era for protesting in favor of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy.
She received several awards, including a Hilal-i-Imtiaz in 2010 and a Sitara-i-Imtiaz. She was also awarded a UNESCO/Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights and an Officier de la Légion d’honneur by France. She received the 2014 Right Livelihood Award and the 2010 Freedom Award.
Asma was born on 27 January, 1952. She died at the age of 66.
Aggrieved Pakistanis take to Twitter to express sorrow on Asma Jahangir’s death:
Shocked & devastated to hear that @Asma_Jahangir is no more. An icon of our times; fearless defender of #humanrights. Inspired so many. leaves a rich legacy. #Pakistan is a poorer place without her.
May you rest in peace Asma ji.
khak mein kya suratein hongi k pinhan ho gayeen
Today it's not only Pakistan who will cry. The entire South Asia shall mourn #AsmaJahangir. This is a loss of not only Pakistan. She shook up the conscience of the world.
Shocked to hear @Asma_Jahangir passed away. Huge loss for us, for #Pakistan. She was courageous, fearless, invincible. In absolute disbelief. Please pray for her & her family.
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