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AFP
Lahore
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, said. 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.
"The best tribute to her is to continue her fight for human rights and democracy,"tweeted Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, adding she had met Jahangir just last week in Oxford.
Journalist Wajahat Khan said on Twitter that he and many others did not agree with some of her views."But she was a titan. And one of the brightest and bravest ever produced by this country."
