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. Asma Jahangir Read Quote
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. Asma Jahangir Read Quote
There used to be very few women in prisons, but this changed with the introduction of the hudood laws. Asma Jahangir Read Quote
Past experience has shown that the Islamists gain space when civilian authority weakens. Asma Jahangir Read Quote
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. Asma Jahangir Read Quote
Look at the world, all the suffering… Being under house arrest is the least I can sacrifice. Asma Jahangir Read Quote
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. Asma Jahangir Read Quote
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. Asma Jahangir Read Quote
