Asma Jahangir Quotes
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Even when we talked about child labor, we were frowned upon. But then you know that you have to speak the truth irrespective of the repercussions.
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I have no illusions about our elected politicians. Pakistani democracy is anything but perfect.
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I have noticed encouraging signs in the fight against religious intolerance, and I am impressed by the outstanding degree of human rights activism in India.
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When the Bangladesh war happened, people in Pakistan who did not support it were called unpatriotic. My father was in the jail at that time, and a lot of those who knew my family used to call us children of a traitor.
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I've been jailed once, put in police lock-up twice, and was under house arrest twice.
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Terrorism does not disappear with revenge tactics but through making justice and equality before law a reality.
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Fortunately, when Benazir Bhutto was prime minister, she banned public whipping of women - banned whipping of women, period, which is a marvelous thing she did.
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Organized groups claiming roots in religious ideologies have unleashed an all-pervasive fear of mob violence in many parts of the country.
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When there is oppression and dictatorship, by not speaking out, we lose our dignity.
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Religiosity is suffocating in Pakistan. It invariably stokes the fire in driving society to religious extremism.
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We believe that when there is a democratic setup, we have a greater voice.
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While speaking in the NA, one must maintain respect.
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The state has not only the obligation to stay neutral in matters of religion but also to ensure that freedom of thought and conscience of all individuals is protected.
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The interaction between human rights campaigners from Pakistan and India was a big taboo in the 1980s. When we started traveling to India to increase people-to-people contact between the two nations, we knew that we would face serious repercussions back home.
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Even before his detention, my father was fighting many cases. He remained in jail in Multan. He remained in jail in Bannu. But we were not allowed to go see him there. We always saw him in courts. So for me, the courts were a place where you dressed up to see your father. It had a very nice feeling to it.
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The world has to have zero tolerance for naked dictatorship.
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My father was jailed off and on for seven years.
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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.
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People send their kids to law school to uphold the rule of law - not to fight in the streets for justice and not to be beaten up.
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We may fight terrorism through brute force, but the terror that is unleashed in the name of religion can only be challenged through moral courage.
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I am so proud of Pakistanis and specifically of our lawyers for speaking out and getting their heads bashed in for a better Pakistan.
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Agencies must know who they are accountable to. If the agencies know who they are accountable to but we cannot say who they are accountable to, then really it is a very sad situation that is bound to be misused. It is bound to affect human rights.
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Every fair-minded person holding a position of authority must support the few who have stood up against the injustice being perpetrated in the name of blasphemy.
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If state protects the rights of people, they start respecting the state.