Asma Jahangir Quotes
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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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I don't care what America and Africa think; I am only concerned that the people of this country should be saved from its Army.
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Divorce is the cheapest thing in Pakistan. About 30 cents. Cheaper than fish and chips. I've had clients married to very rich men for 40 years, then turned out on the road with nothing.
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The morality of a society is not judged by the behaviour of an oppressed class but by the rules and laws made by the state, which either protect or exploit an already depressed section of society.
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If state protects the rights of people, they start respecting the state.
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If your people don't really believe or respect you, if you don't have the moral authority to rule, then your goose is cooked.
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General Zia-ul-Haq, a dictator and unscrupulous political actor, used Islam as a pretext for waging war in Afghanistan and adopting an aggressive stance towards India. By advancing a more orthodox version of Islam, he was able to hold on to a repressive regime and quell any opposition.
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My family has equally suffered abductions, attacks and life threats, but I have continued my struggle for justice.
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Look at the world, all the suffering... Being under house arrest is the least I can sacrifice.
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We want a country which is not isolated and where democracy rules.
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Everything is a risk in Pakistan: If you defend women, it's a risk. If you defend non-Muslims it's a risk. If you discuss religion, it's a risk. But you can't really sit there like a vegetable in your own society. And I'm committed to that society... and I feel I need to turn around and speak as I should.
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I cannot bear to live where there is so much injustice and I cannot do something about it. What kind of a torturous life is that?
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We have the tendency of over-legislation regarding women.
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We never learnt the right lessons. We never went to the root of the problem. Once you start politicising religion, you play with fire and get burnt as well. Another lesson we did not learn is that Muslims are not homogenous.
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Duplicity in matters of religion is not confined to Pakistan, but it hurts the most in societies where debate on religion is asphyxiated and preachers of hate have become keepers of faith.
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The way my father worked altruistically and the manner in which he used to go behind bars and come back home smilingly was inspirational.
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The Musharraf government has declared martial law to settle scores with lawyers and judges. Hundreds of innocent Pakistanis have been rounded up. Human rights activists, including women and senior citizens, have been beaten by police. Judges have been arrested and lawyers battered in their offices and the streets.
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There are some societies where women are not even allowed to drive a car, and that restriction is based in the name of religion and tradition. There are other countries where a woman can be punished if she does not cover her head.
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However flawed democracy is, it is still the only answer.
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I would simply not compromise on the fundamental rights of people.
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I suppose anyone who calls a dictator a dictator is 'dangerous' and 'imbalanced.'
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In 1986, Pakistan got the blasphemy law. So, while we had just two cases of blasphemy before that year, now we have thousands. It shows that one should be careful while bringing religion into legislation, because the law itself can become an instrument of persecution.
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A really responsible court will never give an order it knows will not be implemented.
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Good or bad people can be democratically elected, but it is always easy to fight for human rights under this system.