Top 44 Asma Jahangir Quotes

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.

Every religion curbs women rights to some extent. Some countries acted against religions and put a ban on wearing hijab, which was also a violation of human rights.

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.

I have no illusions about our elected politicians. Pakistani democracy is anything but perfect.

A woman’s whole life is spent making chicken curry while her husband works. Then, any time he likes, he can kick her out.

We have the tendency of over-legislation regarding women.

Look at the world, all the suffering… Being under house arrest is the least I can sacrifice.

We eat, drink, and sleep religion, but we do not do good.

Terrorism and religious extremism are huge challenges. They go hand in glove.

I don’t need a certificate of my patriotism from those in the establishment.

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.

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.

Organized groups claiming roots in religious ideologies have unleashed an all-pervasive fear of mob violence in many parts of the country.

If state protects the rights of people, they start respecting the state.

I had been very impressed with the courts we visited to see my father. The judges wearing wigs, the lawyers, the legal arguments – it was all exciting stuff for a kid.

I have protection. I have police protection. I have personal bodyguards. I have three sets of them. But believe me, this is really psychological for the family. If they want to get me, they can get me. And every time that I have been saved, it’s been by coincidence.

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.

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.

To set a trap for a handful of promiscuous individuals, the Zina law has laid a minefield for women in difficult circumstances.

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.

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.

I am certainly not a martyr kind of a person. I love my life. But if one has to, then there is nothing more nobler a cause that I can think of.

The Army is into every business in this country. Except hairdressing.

I think I have lived enough in this country where I can say what I think is true and which is the voice of my conscience.

There used to be very few women in prisons, but this changed with the introduction of the hudood laws.

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.

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.

I would simply not compromise on the fundamental rights of people.

As a lawyer, many a time I took up difficult and sensitive cases dealing with minorities’ and women’s rights. Yes, I constantly receive threats, and to be very honest, at times it is very scary. But I have to continue my work.

Good or bad people can be democratically elected, but it is always easy to fight for human rights under this system.

Attempts are being made to turn Pakistan into a security state. If they succeed they should better rename it ‘ISIstan.’

Religiosity is suffocating in Pakistan. It invariably stokes the fire in driving society to religious extremism.

While speaking in the NA, one must maintain respect.

We believe that when there is a democratic setup, we have a greater voice.

My father was jailed off and on for seven years.

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?

The way my father worked altruistically and the manner in which he used to go behind bars and come back home smilingly was inspirational.

When General Musharraf took over, the Bar Association was among the first of some of the institutions that said they would not accept the Musharraf regime.

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.

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.

Terrorism does not disappear with revenge tactics but through making justice and equality before law a reality.

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.

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.

However flawed democracy is, it is still the only answer.