Top Pakistani rights advocate Asma Jahangir dies

Leading Pakistani human rights advocate Asma Jahangir has died, her family said Sunday, in a major blow to the country's embattled rights community. She was 66.

The lawyer and co-founder of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan died of cardiac arrest, according to her sister. 

"Unfortunately we have lost her," Hina Jilani, also a prominent rights activist and lawyer, told AFP.

Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced, according to a statement by her daughter Munizae Jahangir, as the family waited for relatives to return to their hometown of Lahore. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi expressed grief at Jahangir's death, praising her contribution to upholding the rule of law and safeguarding human rights.

Jahangir's supporters and former opponents alike took to social media to offer their condolences and express shock at news of her death. 

Source: AFP