Munizae Jahangir, daughter of the late lawyer and human rights activist Asma Jahangir, has received the 2018 United Nations Human Rights Prize on the behalf of her mother.
Asma had been announced as one of the four winners of the quinquennial prize in October.
The announcement had been made through the official Twitter account of UN General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces.
“Today I announced the 2018 winners of the UN Human Rights Prize,” she had tweeted before naming Asma and three other recipients, adding: “Your work is an inspiration to us.”
Tanzanian activist Rebeca Gyumi, Brazil’s first indigenous lawyer Joenia Wapixana and Ireland’s human rights organisation Front Line Defenders are the other three recipients of the honour.
Receiving the award on her late mother’s behalf on Tuesday, Munizae dedicated it to Pakistani women and their courage.
It is worth mentioning here that Asma becomes the fourth Pakistani woman to be awarded the UN Human Rights Prize. Before her, Begum Ra’Ana Liaquat Ali Khan (1978), Benazir Bhutto (2008) and Malala Yousufzai (2013) had been accorded the honour.
Asma, who passed away in February this year, was known for her outspoken nature and unrelenting pursuit for human rights as well as for remaining undaunted in the face of extreme pressure and opposition.
She is also remembered as a champion of the disenfranchised and for her services towards building a democratic and more inclusive Pakistan.
