Hina Jilani

is an advocate and human rights worker. She has practiced law since 1979, and she started the first women's law firm in Pakistan in 1980. She specializes in human rights litigation, and is especially concerned with the human rights of women, children, minorities, and prisoners. She has conducted several cases which have become landmarks in setting human rights standards in Pakistan. She says

It was anger against state-sponsored injustice that forced me to enter courtrooms in the 1970s. [...] For all these years I have retained that outrage so I have been able to fight for human rights and against bonded labour, blasphemy laws ..

Tribune India, Monday 15 Mar 1999

She is also a social activist, being a founding member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the Women's Action Forum. Ms. Jilani has experience working with regional and international organizations on the development of international human rights standards. She has been involved with the United Nations Center for Human Rights, the Carter Center, and the UN Conference on Women. She has received several awards for her human rights work from organizations such as the American Bar Association and Human Rights Watch. She is the sister of Asma Jahangir, a leading advocate of women's rights in Pakistan.

Newsclips & Links