HR activist Shahla Zia passes away

Published March 11, 2005

ISLAMABAD, March 10: Shahla Zia, one of the pioneers of the women rights movement in Pakistan, died here on Thursday morning after a brief illness. She was 58 and leaves behind two daughters and a son.

She was buried at the Islamabad Graveyard in the evening. Her funeral was attended by family members and a large number of people from different walks of life, including lawyers, parliamentarians, representatives of civil society and government officials.

The late Ms Zia was the daughter of eminent educationist Dr Satnam Mahmood and prominent freedom fighter Nawabzada Mahmood Ali Khan.

One of the founding members of Women Action Forum Aurat Foundation and the AGHS women’s law firm and legal aid centre, Ms Zia was one of those women activists who were jailed for protesting against the Law of Evidence at the Lahore High Court in 1983. She was at the forefront of the struggle against all discriminatory laws against women and religious minorities.

Ms Zia made immense contribution to law reform and research on women’s legal, political and development issues. She was one the main authors of the 1997 report of the Commission of Inquiry on Women and an author and co-editor of the ‘National Report-1995’ for the Women’s Conference in Beijing.

She conceptualized the chapter on women’s development for the 9th five-year plan for the Planning Commission.

She had resign from the various government committees and the Beijing Core Group when the 15th Constitutional Amendment was introduced in Parliament in 1998.

In the death of Shahla Zia the women and human rights movements have lost a sincere and courageous activists.

Opinion

Editorial

Kurram ceasefire
Updated 26 Nov, 2024

Kurram ceasefire

DESPITE efforts by the KP government to bring about a ceasefire in Kurram tribal district, the bloodletting has...
Hollow victory
26 Nov, 2024

Hollow victory

THE conclusion of COP29 in Baku has left developing nations — struggling with the mounting costs of climate...
Infrastructure schemes
26 Nov, 2024

Infrastructure schemes

THE government’s decision to finance priority PSDP schemes on a three-year rolling basis is a significant step...
Anti-women state
Updated 25 Nov, 2024

Anti-women state

GLOBALLY, women are tormented by the worst tools of exploitation: rape, sexual abuse, GBV, IPV, and more are among...
IT sector concerns
25 Nov, 2024

IT sector concerns

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ambitious plan to increase Pakistan’s IT exports from $3.2bn to $25bn in the ...
Israel’s war crimes
25 Nov, 2024

Israel’s war crimes

WHILE some powerful states are shielding Israel from censure, the court of global opinion is quite clear: there is...