When there is oppression and dictatorship, by not speaking out, we lose our dignity.
Asma Jahangir
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.
The world has to have zero tolerance for naked dictatorship.
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.
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.
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.
Good or bad people can be democratically elected, but it is always easy to fight for human rights under this system.
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 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.
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.
We want a country which is not isolated and where democracy rules.
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.
To set a trap for a handful of promiscuous individuals, the Zina law has laid a minefield for women in difficult circumstances.
While speaking in the NA, one must maintain respect.
Terrorism and religious extremism are huge challenges. They go hand in glove.
We have the tendency of over-legislation regarding women.
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.
A really responsible court will never give an order it knows will not be implemented.
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.
Look at the world, all the suffering... Being under house arrest is the least I can sacrifice.
Crime takes place in every country. But it becomes abuse when the state is unwilling and unable to protect the life and honour of its citizens.
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 Army is into every business in this country. Except hairdressing.
In bonded labour cases, judges would ask me why I had brought those people to the courts who stank. 'You are here precisely for them,' I would respond.
Musharraf's government has a civilian face - there are still elections and assemblies - and he has come to believe his own propaganda that he really is a democrat.
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 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 don't need a certificate of my patriotism from those in the establishment.
It is not easy for the courts to control the intelligence agencies. There has to be concerted and coordinated effort on part of the courts, the parliament, and the government.
The way my father worked altruistically and the manner in which he used to go behind bars and come back home smilingly was inspirational.
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.
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.
My father was jailed off and on for seven years.
There have always been difficult situations for activists in Pakistan. In the 1960s, people fought for linguistic and ethnic rights in relation to the Bangladesh movement and the struggle of the people in the western Balochistan province.
If state protects the rights of people, they start respecting the state.
Terrorism does not disappear with revenge tactics but through making justice and equality before law a reality.
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.
We believe that when there is a democratic setup, we have a greater voice.
Religiosity is suffocating in Pakistan. It invariably stokes the fire in driving society to religious extremism.
Organized groups claiming roots in religious ideologies have unleashed an all-pervasive fear of mob violence in many parts of the country.
There used to be very few women in prisons, but this changed with the introduction of the hudood laws.
Past experience has shown that the Islamists gain space when civilian authority weakens.
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.
I am so proud of Pakistanis and specifically of our lawyers for speaking out and getting their heads bashed in for a better Pakistan.
We are so resilient as a people. I have so much respect for their dignity and courage. I hope the world sees this side of Pakistan, one where professionals want a democracy. The spirit of our intelligentsia cannot be broken.
I had to face imprisonment and house arrests, but it made me tougher.
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.
However flawed democracy is, it is still the only answer.
I have no illusions about our elected politicians. Pakistani democracy is anything but perfect.
