Press Release: Human Rights Commission of Pakistan | June 4, 2012 |

Asma Jahangir

Threat to Asma's life condemned

What makes the reported conspiracy to liquidate Asma Jahangir especially serious is, firstly, the environment of target-killings, in which dissident persons' dead bodies are being dumped all over, and, secondly, the fact that the finger of accusation has been pointed at the extraordinarily privileged state actors.

Lahore, 4 June 2012:

We the undersigned citizens, belonging to various sections of Pakistan's civil society, express our serious concern and alarm at the information-leak from a responsible and highly credible source that there is a serious threat to the life of the country's leading human rights activist and one of the most influential leaders of the bar, Ms. Asma Jahangir. What makes the reported conspiracy to liquidate Asma Jahangir especially serious is, firstly, the environment of target-killings, in which dissident persons' dead bodies are being dumped all over, and, secondly, the fact that the finger of accusation has been pointed at the extraordinarily privileged state actors. We wish to make it clear to all and sundry, especially those who preside over the security apparatus, that they must not under-estimate the consequences of any harm being caused to the life of Asma Jahangir. This is not a conspiracy against one individual alone; it is obviously a plot against Pakistan's future as a democratic state, of which the threat to Asma Jahangir may be only one, though crucial, part. What the duty of the state in this matter is and how the civil society must face the challenge thrown to it need no elaboration.

1. Justice Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim
2. Dr. Mubashir Hassan
3. Mr. I. A. Rehman
4. Mr. Yasmin Azad, President SCBAP
5. Akhtar Hussain President Pakistan Bar Council
6. Ali Ahmad Kurd, former President SCBAP
7. Mr. Tariq Mahmood former President SCBAP
8. Mr. Muneer A Malik, former President SCBAP
9. Lt. General Talat Masood
10. Air Marshal Zafar Chaudhry
11. Mr. Ahmed Rashid, author and senior journalist
12. Mr. Latif Afridi, President High Court Bar Peshawar
13. Mr. Shahryam Sarwar Chaudhry, President Lahore High Court Bar Association
14. Mr. Zahoor Ahmad Shawani President Balochistan High Court Bar Association
15. Sher Muhammad, President Malakand High Court Bar Association
16. Mr. Azam Nazir Tarar, Member PBC
17. Mr. Ehsan Bhoon Member PBC
18. Justice Malik Saeed Hassan
19. Mr. S.M. Masood former Law Minister
20. Mr. Ehsan Wyne General Secretary, ANP
21. Prof. Salima Hashmi
22. Hina Jilani, Advocate
23. Munir Kakar President Executive Committee Balochistan Bar Council
24. Jugnu Mohsin, Editor Friday Times
25. Mr. Kamran Shafi
26. Kamran Arif Co-Chairperson HRCP
27. Rashid Rehman, Editor Daily Times
28. Fareeda Shaheed
29. Samina Rehman
30. Prof. Dr. Mehdi Hassan
31. Dr. Haroon Ahmed
32. Saleem Asmi, former editor, Dawn
33. Tahir Hassan vice Chairperson HRCP, Quetta
34. Neelam Hussain
35. Kishwar Naheed
36. Khawar Mumtaz
37. Nazish Ataullah former Principal NCA
38. Ms. Shahtaj Qizilbash coordinator, Joint Action Committee
39. Nasreen Azhar
40. Mr. Abbas Rashid
41. Ms. Nighat Saeed
42. Mr. Sajid Bashir former President Lahore Bar Association
43. Shahzad Hassan Sheikh former President Lahore Bar Association
44. Muhammad Tahseen, South Asia Partnership

Issued by
Zohra Yusuf
Chairperson, HRCP