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Samuel Bakhtiari

At the end of his mission, Ahmad, the martyr, is introduced as the special human rights reporter for the United Nations in Iran, and Asma Jahangir, a Pakistani human rights activist, is introduced as his replacement.

This human rights activist worked as a special rapporteur for freedom of religion and belief for the United Nations between 2004 and 2010 and has repeatedly criticized Iran for violating the rights of its citizens.

Mrs. Asma Jilani Jahangir, born on January 27, 1952 in Lahore, Pakistan. Her early years of activity coincided with the rule of military dictator General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq in Pakistan. After the coup on June 5, 1977, which led to the overthrow of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, the 11-year rule of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq began. Her self-rule government, taking advantage of regional conditions including the overthrow of the Shah’s regime in Iran, the military occupation of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union, and the proximity of India to the Eastern bloc, began a targeted effort to change Pakistan’s semi-secular system to a religious system based on Islamic law. The silence of Western countries and, in most cases, their support for this self-rule system may be considered the cornerstone of Islamic fundamentalism in the region; a fundamentalism that today holds the Islamic countries

Mrs. Jahangir founded the first law firm in Pakistan in 1981 as the first woman, and then established the Women’s Action Forum, which aimed to combat the devaluation of women’s testimony compared to men or proving rape against themselves, defining their mission. Efforts to obtain the rights of Muslim women, including risky activities in Islamic countries, are among the activities. Many women’s rights activists have sacrificed their lives for this cause.

In 1983, he was at the forefront of protests whose goal was to combat Zia-ul-Haq’s program of imposing religious laws and regulations on Pakistan’s political and social life. The main objective of General Zia-ul-Haq was to align the religious sector of Pakistani society with his regime in the face of communist expansionism. Under the pretext of fighting communism, a growing unrest was created in Pakistan. During this struggle, Zia-ul-Haq received significant financial and military aid from Arab and Western countries. Saudi Arabia and the United States played a crucial role in strengthening Zia-ul-Haq’s military government. The development of Pakistan’s nuclear program was also made possible by this aid, which later became one of the region’s problems and a factor in the arms race between regional countries.

During the reign of Zia-ul-Haq, Mrs. Jahangir established the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and also carried out various other activities in the field of human rights and women’s rights. The military governments of Pakistan opposed her activities. She spent some time in prison or under house arrest during the rule of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and General Pervez Musharraf. Jahangir became the president of the Pakistan Bar Council in 2010.

He has dedicated a large part of his professional life to human rights, especially the rights of women, religious minorities, and children in Pakistan.

In Pakistan, religious minorities are often targeted by revenge-seeking attacks from the general public or extremist religious groups. In many cases, Wahhabi groups, who are followers of the Shia sect, particularly in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, are targeted. In Pakistan, followers of the Ahmadiyya sect, which was founded in the late 19th century in the country, are also constantly harassed and persecuted. The law known as blasphemy is also a controversial issue and violates the rights of religious minorities, especially non-Muslims. The brutal attacks against Christians in Pakistan, which have been reported by reputable news agencies, are evidence of the difficult conditions faced by non-Muslim minorities in Pakistan.

Based on Pakistan’s criminal laws, the minimum age for criminal prosecution is “7 years”. Pakistan’s judicial system clearly favors the wealthy over the poor. Numerous reports indicate a biased judicial system in which those in power are not punished while the vulnerable face harsh penalties, highlighting the discriminatory nature of the country’s judicial system. Ms. Jahanagir has repeatedly warned about the dire state of Pakistan’s judicial system.

Asma Jahangir, as one of the founders and secretary of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, and later as the chairperson of its board, has repeatedly called for reform of Pakistan’s criminal and civil laws. Protesting against Pakistan’s criminal laws is not a simple matter, as in addition to government crackdowns, extremist and militant groups are also a threat.

The reaction of Iran and Western countries.

After choosing Mrs. Jahangir, Mohammad Javad Larijani, the Secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters of the Judiciary, regarding the introduction of a replacement for Ahmed Shaheed to the Human Rights Council, said: “The Islamic Republic of Iran has always had a principled position regarding the appointment of a special country rapporteur and considers it to be a result of double standards and selective approaches of certain specific countries within the framework of the Human Rights Council.”

On the other hand, Western countries have welcomed this decision as an effective step towards better efforts in improving human rights in Iran. The United States government has welcomed the decision of the United Nations Human Rights Council in appointing Asma Jahangir from Pakistan as the new Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran. In a statement released on Wednesday, October 4th, in Washington, the US State Department said, “We welcome the appointment of Asma Jahangir from Pakistan as the new Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran. She replaces Dr. Ahmed Shaheed from the Maldives, who currently serves as the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief.”

Sources:

• Bone, James; Hussain, Zahid. “As Pakistan comes full circle, a light is shone on Zia ul-Haq’s death”, The Times, London, (August 16, 2008).

• This article has been written using sources from BBC Persian, Voice of America, Fars News Agency, and also the Pakistani Christian Council’s Mehr News Agency.