Look up ansar in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Ansar may refer to:

• Ansar, Lebanon, a village in south Lebanon
• Ansar, North Khorasan, a village in North Khorasan Province, Iran
• Ansar, a village in Siwan district of Bihar, India
• Ansar (deity), an ancient Babylonian sky god
• Ansar (Islam), citizens from Medina who helped Mohammed
• Ansar (military), a class of Arabian warriors
• Ansar (Sudan), a Sufi religious movement in the Sudan

Al Ansar / Al-Ansar

• Al-Ansar FC, a Lebanese football team
• Al Ansaar (Libya), a Libyan football team
• Al-Ansar (Saudi Arabia), a Saudi Arabian multi-sports club
  • Al-Ansar (Saudi Arabia, basketball)

Others

• Ansar al-Islam, a Sunni Islamist group of Iraqis promoting a radical interpretation of Islam
• Ansar-e Hezbollah, a militant conservative Islamic group in Iran
• Ansarullah, an auxiliary organization of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
• Ansaaru Allah Community, a black nationalist group founded by Malachi Z. York

See also[link]

• Ansari (disambiguation)
• Al Ansar

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Ansar Burney
Ansar Burney
Born	(1956-08-14)August 14, 1956 Karachi, Pakistan
Citizenship	Pakistani
Occupation	Human Rights Activist
Website
http://www.ansarburney.org

Ansar Burney and Pakistan Army Chief of Staff after meeting discussing release of Pakistani citizens from Afghan slave labour camps

Ansar Burney (Urdu: انصار برنی; born 14 August 1956 in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan) is a leading Pakistani human rights and civil rights activist. He is a graduate of Masters and Law from Karachi University and honorary recipient of a PhD. in Philosophy. In 1980, Ansar Burney began the "Ansar Burney Welfare Trust", "Prisoners Aid Society", and "Bureau of Missing and Kidnapped Persons" in Karachi, Pakistan.

Ansar Burney is accredited as being the first man to introduce the concept of human rights in Pakistan nearly 30 years ago.^[1] He and his organisation (the Ansar Burney Trust) are also accredited for securing the release of around 700,000 innocent prisoners from countries all around the world.^[2] One such famous case was that of Mr. Muhammad Akhtar, in which Akhtar's mother was raped before his birth in prison. After Akhtar's birth no one wanted to accept him and he spent 40 years in prison before his release.^[3]

Because of his outstanding achievements in the field of human and civil rights, Ansar Burney was the first man to receive the Pakistani National Civil Award Sitara-i-Imtiaz on 23 March 2002.^[4] And due to his two decade long international campaign to end child slavery in the Middle East in the form of child camel jockeys, Ansar Burney was declared an 'Anti-Human Trafficking Hero' in the 2005 Trafficking in Persons Report by the US State Department.^[5]

On 16 November 2007, Ansar Burney was sworn in as Pakistan's caretaker Federal Minister for Human Rights. He will be the first man to head the newly established Human Rights ministry of Pakistan.

On 27 March 2008, he was elected for a term of three years as one of the 18 members of the United Nations Human Rights Council Advisory Committee and due to "his recognized experience in the field of human rights and acknowledged competence and impartiality, Burney received wide support from all regional groups of the Council".^[6]

In 2008 he was listed in a poll by The Financial Daily as a favorite personality.^{[citation needed]}

Ansar Burney also played an instrumental role in getting the crew of MV Suez free from the captivity of Somali pirates in 2011.^[7]

Anti-corruption movement[link]

On Aug 22, 2011, Ansar Buney announced that following the Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations at the end of Ramadan, he would initiate an anti-corruption movement in Pakistan based on the popular movement of Anna Hazare in India.^[8]

References[link]

1. ^ Associated Press of Pakistan - Profiles of Caretaker Federal Ministers
2. ^ Information of Pakistan - Federal Minister for Human Rights
3. ^ http://www.ansarburney.org/news/n6.html
4. ^ United Nations Human Rights Council profile of Ansar Burney
5. ^ US State Department - Anti-Human Trafficking Hero Discusses Child Jockeys
6. ^ The News - Ansar Burney elected member of Human Rights body
7. ^ http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/families-of-indian-sailors-thank-ansar-burney-unhappy-with-indian-govt-112289
8. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/8719437/Anna-Hazare-Pakistan-to-follow-India-with-anti-corruption-campaign.html

External links[link]

• Ansar Burney Trust
• Burney Legal Solicitors
• Ansar Burney: Pakistan’s Angel of God - by: Garrett Heaney

This article may need to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help by adding relevant internal links, or by improving the article's layout. (April 2011) Click [show] on right for more details. No reason has been cited for the Wikify tag on this article.You can insert a reason using the |reason= parameter, like this: {{Wikify|reason=Your reason here}} Please replace HTML markup with wiki markup where appropriate. Add wikilinks. Where appropriate, make links to other articles by putting "[[" and "]]" on either side of relevant words (see WP:LINK for more information) and check that your links work as expected. Please do not link terms that most readers are familiar with, such as common occupations, well-known geographical terms, and everyday items. Format the lead. Create or improve the lead paragraph. Arrange section headers as described at Wikipedia:Guide to layout. Add an infobox if it is appropriate for the article. Clean up / format the references and footnotes, using citation templates when appropriate. Remove this tag.

Abubakar Siddique, (1936) is a modern Bangladeshi novelist.

Works[link]

Novels[link]

• Jalarakshas (The Water Demon, 1985)
• Kharadaha (Flame of Drought, 1987)
• Barudpora Prohor (Gun-Powder Time, 1966)
• Ekatturer Hridobhasma (The Heart Ash of 1971, 1997)

Awards[link]

• Bangla Academy Award (1988)
• Bangladesh Kathashilpi Sangsad Prize
• Bangabhasha Sanskriti Prasar Samity Award (Kolkata)
• Khulna Sahitya Parishad Award
• Bagerhat Foundation Award
• Rishij Medal
• Bangladesh Lekhika Sangha Gold Medal.

External links[link]

• Bangladeshi Novels

This Bangladeshi biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article about a South Asian writer or poet is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Asma Jahangir
Asma Jahangir, having received the Four Freedoms Award for Freedom of Worship in 2010
Supreme Court Bar Association
Taking office October 27, 2010
President	Asif Ali Zardari
Prime Minister	Yousaf Raza Gillani
Succeeding	Qazi Anwar
Chairperson of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
In office 1987 – Incumbent
Personal details
Born	Asma Jilani Jahangir January 1952 (age 60) Lahore, Punjab province, West-Pakistan (now-Pakistan)
Nationality	Pakistani
Children	1 son and 2 daughter
Residence	Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT)
Alma mater	Punjab University (LL.B.) Kinnaird College (B.A.) University of St. Gallen (J.S.D.)
Occupation	President of Supreme Court Bar Association
Profession	Lawyer and Human rights activist
Supreme Court of Pakistan	Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Chief Justice of Pakistan
Notable Awards	Hilal-i-Imtiaz (2010) Martin Ennals Award (1995) Ramon Magsaysay Award Leo Eitinger Award (2002) Millennium Prize Four Freedoms Award (2010)

Asma Jilani Jahangir (Urdu: عاصمہ جہانگیر) (born January 27, 1952 in Lahore) is a leading Pakistani lawyer, advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, President Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan and human rights activist, who works both in Pakistan and internationally to prevent the persecution of religious minorities, women, and exploitation of children.

She was the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief from August 2004 to July 2010 (first attached to the former Commission on Human Rights, now to the Human Rights Council). Previously, she served as the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Arbitrary and Summary Executions. She is also chairperson of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

Early life[link]

Jahangir was born into a prosperous and politically active family with a history of activism and human rights work. Her father, Malik Ghulam Jilani, was a civil servant who entered politics upon retirement and spent years both in jail and under house arrest for opposing military dictatorships. Her father was imprisoned on several occasions for his outspoken views, which included denouncing the Pakistani government for genocide during their military action in what is now Bangladesh. Her mother, educated at a co-ed college at a time when few Muslim women even received higher education, also fought the traditional system, pioneering her own clothing business when the family's lands were confiscated in 1967 as a result of her husband's opinions and detention.^[1] Jahangir herself became involved at a young age in protests against the military regime as well as opposing her father's detention by then president, Benazir Bhutto's father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1972. She received her B.A. from Kinnaird College, Lahore and her law degree in 1978,^[2] and her LLB from Punjab University. She also holds an honorary doctorate from University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.^[3], Queens University, Canada and Cornell University, USA.

Work[link]

She has spent her career defending the human and women rights, rights of religious minorities and children in Pakistan. Jahangir was and remains a staunch critic of the Hudood Ordinance and blasphemy laws of Pakistan put in place as part of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization program in Pakistan.^[4][5] She is a founding member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, and has served as Secretary-General and later Chairperson of the organization.

In 1980, Jahangir and her sister, Hina Jilani, got together with fellow activists and lawyers to form the first law firm established by women in Pakistan. In the same year they also helped form the Women's Action Forum (WAF), a pressure group campaigning against Pakistan's discriminatory legislation, most notably against the Proposed Law of Evidence, where the value of a woman's testimony was reduced to half that of a man's testimony, and the Hadood Ordinances, where victims of rape had to prove their innocence or else face punishment themselves.^[6] On February 12, 1983, the Punjab Women Lawyers Association in Lahore organised a public protest (one of its leaders was Jahangir) against the Proposed Law of Evidence, during which Jahangir and other participating WAF members were beaten, teargassed, and arrested by police.^[7]

The first WAF demonstration, however, took place in 1983 when some 25-50 women took to the streets protesting the controversial case of Safia Bibi. In 1983, Safia, a blind 13-year-old girl, was raped by her employers, and as a result became pregnant, yet ended up in jail charged with fornication (zina) sentenced to flogging, 3 years of imprisonment and fined. (Jahangir defended Safia in her appeal and eventually the verdict was overruled by an appeals court due to pressure and protests.)^[8] They would say: "We (their law firm) had been given a lot of cases by the advocate general and the moment this demonstration came to light, the cases were taken away from us."^[9]

In 1982 Jahangir earned the nickname "little heroine" after leading a protest march in Islamabad against a decision by then-president Zia ul Haq to enforce religious laws and stated: "Family laws [which are religious laws] give women few rights" and that "They have to be reformed because Pakistan cannot live in isolation. We cannot remain shackled while other women progress." ^[10]

In 1986 Jahangir and Hina set up AGHS Legal Aid, the first free legal aid centre in Pakistan. The AGHS Legal Aid Cell in Lahore also runs a shelter for women, called 'Dastak'. Look after by her secretary Munib Ahmed.^[11]

She is also a proponent of protecting the rights of persecuted religious minorities in Pakistan and speaks out against forced conversions.^[12]

Jahangir has campaigned against human rights abuses taking place in government and police custody in Pakistan, i.e. rape in police custody is widespread but vastly under-reported; "Women are arrested, raped and sexually assaulted every day in the presence of female constables, who find themselves helpless in such situations." ^[13]

In 1996 the High Court in Lahore ruled that an adult Muslim woman could not get married without the consent of her male guardian (wali). Women, who chose their husbands independently, could be forced to annul their marriages and the repercussions were highlighted by Jahangir, who also took on such cases (i.e. the case of Saima Waheed);^[14][15] "Hundreds have already been arrested. This is simply going to open up the floodgates for the harassment of women and girls by their families and the authorities. The courts have sanctioned their oppression. Thousands more are bound to be affected by this."^[16]

Jahangir has demanded that the government of Parvez Musharraf work to improve the record of human rights domestically. Citing examples of human rights abuses, she wrote, "A Hindu income tax inspector gets lynched in the presence of the army personnel for allegedly having made a remark on the beard of a trader. Promptly, the unfortunate Hindu government servant is booked for having committed blasphemy, while the traders and the Lashkar-e-Taiba activists were offered tea over parleys. A seventy-year-old Mukhtaran Bibi and her pregnant daughter Samina are languishing in Sheikhupura jail on trumped-up charges of blasphemy.^[17]

She is also an active opponent of child labour and capital punishment: "It would be hypocrisy to defend laws I don't believe in, like capital punishment, the blasphemy law and laws against women and in favor of child labor."^[10]

Asma Jahangir served as the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions from 1998 to 2004, and as the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief from 2004 to 2010.^[18]

In her capacity as a UN official, Jahangir was in Pakistan, when Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency in 2007. In November 2006, she participated the international meeting for The Yogyakarta Principles as one of 29 experts. On November 5, 2007, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour indicated that Jahangir was among the judicial and political officials detained by the Musharraf government.^[19]

During her election campaign for the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan in October 2010, right wing miscreants backed by some elements of the notorious Pakistani ISI indulged in a massive propaganda about Asma Jahangir but their efforts were unsuccessful and she won the elections for President SCBAP. These miscreants resorted to publishing false accusations about her in posters and pamphlets that were put up outside courts and posted to lawyers. They wrongly alleged that Asma Jahangir is supportive of Mr. Narrendra Modi, the notorious Chief Minister of Gujarat, India, under whose rule scores of Muslims were killed in rioting. Ms Jahangir as a United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion was on an official mission to India where she had to meet all State and non-State actors who were involved in her mandate. She visited Mr. Modi and right wing elements show a picture of her with him to accuse her of supporting him while they ignored that she had publicly denounced the violence that had gone on in Gujarat and had denounced the alleged role of the State in it. Her report of the mission is available on the United Nations website at A/HRC/10/8/Add.3 on 26 January 2009 and she also made a press conference where she especially noted the riots in Gujarat and involvement of the State in it in many leading newspapers. http://www.hindu.com/nic/asmajahangir.htm

House arrest[link]

On November 5, 2007, The Economist reported that "Over 500 lawyers, opposition politicians and human rights activists have been arrested. They include Asma Jahangir, boss of the country’s human-rights commission and a former UN special rapporteur. In an e-mail from her house arrest, where she has been placed for 90 days, Ms Jahangir regretted that General Musharraf had "lost his marbles".^[20][21][22]

Author[link]

In addition to many publications, Jahangir has authored two books: Divine Sanction? The Hudood Ordinance (1988, 2003) and Children of a Lesser God: Child Prisoners of Pakistan (1992).^[23]

One of her major publications is titled "Whither are We!" and was published in Dawn, on October 2, 2000.^[24]

Threats[link]

Jahangir has received numerous threats over the years due to her activism and human rights work^[4][25] and particularly after defending a 14 year old Christian boy, Salamat Masih, accused of blasphemy^[26][27] and ultimately winning the case in 1995,^[28] a mob at the High Court smashed Jahangir's car, assaulted her and her driver, threatening her with death.^[29] Jahangir and her family have been attacked, taken hostage, had their home broken into and received death threats ever since, but she continues her battle for justice.^[10][30][31]

When Jahangir undertook the case of Saima Sarwar in 1999, who was given shelter at Dastak after leaving her husband, wanting a divorce and later gunned down by her family in an act of honor killing, Jahangir received death threats for representing Saima in her divorce proceedings.^{[32][33][34][35]}

In May 2005 Jahangir announced that she would hold a symbolic mixed-gender marathon in Lahore to raise awareness about violence against women. This was following the revelations of cases such as Mukhtar Mai. Tensions boiled over, as Islamist groups and supporters of the political Islamist alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) armed with firearms, batons and Molotov cocktails,^[36] violently opposed the race, and Jahangir received especially rough treatment from local police and intelligence agents, who began to strip off her clothes in public. Of this Jahangir said "A lot of people tried to cover my back because I could only feel it I could not see my back. When they were putting me on the police van, they assured that my photograph was taken while my back was bare. This was just to humiliate, this was simply just to humiliate me."^[37] A police officer told Jahangir that they had orders to be strict and to tear off the participant’s clothes. In addition she along with other participants was also beaten.^[38]

Acknowledgements[link]

In 1995, Jahangir received the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders as well as the Ramon Magsaysay Award for "greatness of spirit shown in service of the people".^[2]

In 2001 Jahangir and Hina Jilani were awarded the Millennium prize, by UNIFEM (the United Nations Development Fund for Women) in collaboration with the non-governmental organisation International Alert.^[10]

In 2002 she was awarded the Lisl and Leo Eitinger Prize.^[4]

In 2005 she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as part of the 1000 Women for Peace project.^[39]

On May 29, 2010 at the International Four Freedoms Award 2010 Jahangir will receive the Freedom of Worship Medal for her human rights and religious freedom activism in a ceremony held in the Nieuwe Kerk in Middelburg, Holland.^[40]

On March 23, 2010 for services in Human Rights, she was awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz, the second highest civilian award of Pakistan.^[41]

On October 27, 2010 She won the Supreme Court Bar Association election by defeating her competitor Ahmed Awais and securing 834 of total votes and became the first ever women President of SCBA in the history of Pakistan. .^[42]

On December 10, 2010 she was awarded with the 2010 UNESCO/Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights, recognizing her efforts as a human rights defender.^[43][44]

Personal life[link]

She is married and has a son and two daughters, Munizae Jahangir, a journalist and Sulema Jahangir, who is also a lawyer.^[45]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Interview 'Pakistan Should Have Taken The Moral High Ground' August 29, 1998
• ABC News - Nightline Interview: A Matter of Honor By Forrest Sawyer February 15, 1999
• Profile of Asma Jahangir 2000
• Democracy is Survival for Women 2000
• RAWA Articles on Asma Jahangir March 2000
• A law to lament By Asma Jahangir June 5, 2002
• Asma Jahangir in her Own Words 2002
• Of Rites and Rights: An Interview with Asma Jahangir By Anniqua Rana September 23, 2003
• News Report on appointment as Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief
• UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief
• Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)
• Time Magazine profile April 21, 2003
• Interview with Asma Jahangir By Nermeen Shaikh October 27, 2005
• Interview 'If Pakistan Can Take Up Gujarat Riots, Surely India Can Raise The Balochistan Issue' February 6, 2006
• Gulf News: A profile in courage April 2, 2007
• Declan Walsh talks to Asma Jahangir, Pakistan's human rights champion 20 July 2007
• Under House Arrest, Pakistani Human Rights Leader Asma Jahangir Speaks Out on Musharraf’s Crackdown November 14, 2007
• The Last Word: Asma Jahangir 2007
• Human rights lawyer and activist speaks out against Pakistani military dictatorship February 20, 2008
• Katy Clark speaks with Asma Jahangir on 'Violence in Pakistan' October 28, 2009
• Herald exclusive: An interview with Asma Jahangir January 25, 2011

Shahid Masood Khan (Urdu: شاہد مسعود خان) is a Pakistani doctor and works as journalist, columnist, TV show host and political analyst. He is the former President of ARY TV Network, Group Executive Director of Geo TV network and MD/Chairman of Pakistan Television Corporation. Currently, he is working as the Consultant at the Express Media Group and also hosts Shahid Nama on Express News.^[1] Previously he hosted the shows Views on News on ARY News and Meray Mutabiq on GEO TV.

Early life[link]

Shahid Masood spent most of his childhood in Taif and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His father was a civil engineer, who worked there for 15 years.^[2] He attended the Pakistan International School, Riyadh, for seven years. He attended Pakistan international school Riyadh, DJ science college Karachi and Sindh Medical College Karachi.

Career[link]

Views on News - ARY[link]

Shahid Masood came into the spotlight with his program Views On News (launched after 9/11) Asia’s longest-running current affairs TV show.^[3] His show carried interviews with prominent people from politics, civil life, literature and culture. Politicians who were interviewed on Views on News included President General Pervez Musharraf, former Pakistani Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, Shaukat Aziz, and Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, MQM leader Altaf Hussain, PML-N leader Shahbaz Sharif, former Pakistani general A. A. K. Niazi (of East Pakistan fame), Abdul Rashid Ghazi, former CIA Director James Woolsey, and former ISI chief Hamid Gul. Other people who appeared on the show include Ahmed Faraz, Israr Ahmad, Zakir Naik, Ashfaq Ahmed, Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi, Asif Ali Zardari and Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti along with his most wanted Balouch rebel grandson Bramdagh Bugti. It was Nawab Bugti's last public appearance before he was killed in a military operation by the Pakistan Army.^{[citation needed]}

Meray Mutabiq - GEO TV[link]

In January 2007, Shahid Masood joined Geo TV,^[4] which is owned by the Jang Group, the largest Urdu media group.
At GEO, he hosted the show, Meray Mutabiq (According to me). Due to his open criticism of the government and General Musharraf on the show, Masood became a problem for the regime.^{[citation needed]}

In late 2007, GEO Television was banned by General Musharraf after the imposition of emergency rule. Masood returned to the air in the mid-April 2008, and hosted an interview with Asif Zardari. Just in a month he was banned again after interviewing (late) General Jamshed Gulzar Kiani.^[5]

Chairman PTV[link]

He later became MD and Chairman of PTV (state run TV) but due to his stance on the audit report he resigned and later was appointed as Advisor to Prime Minister (status of Federal Minister).^[5] Soon afterwards he resigned from this post too.

Back to GEO[link]

After quitting his advisory post, Masood returned to GEO and once again started hosting his show, Meray Mutabiq. In late 2009 his show was banned again from Dubai but he continued broadcasting it from various locations. It resulted in attacks on GEO offices in Karachi.^[6]

Director ARY[link]

In mid 2010, Masood resumed his program Views on News on ARY News and served as Director of ARY^[7] but after few months he was again trapped by the establishment, so when Sadderuddin Hashwani invited him to join the Hashoo Group for the launch of a new TV channel, Shahid left the TV screens.^[8]

Shahid Nama[link]

Masood returned to television on 18 July 2011, by starting a new show, Shahid Nama, on Express News.^[1] His program is broadcast from Monday to Thursday at 10 pm Pakistani Local Time. The last episode for this program was broadcast on 28th April 2012 after which Masood left Express News.^[9]

On the War on Terrorism[link]

Ever since 9/11, Masood has been severely critical of the American-led War on Terrorism, although he never supported militancy or extremism.^[3] He routinely tends to analyze important issues along controversial lines, such as the Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and the 2006 Lebanon War. He was the only independent Pakistani journalist able to cover three major wars from the combat zones.^[3]

See also[link]

• Pakistan Television
• GEO TV
• Views On News
• Hamid Mir
• Javed Malik
• ARY One World
• ARY Digital
• 2007 Pakistani state of emergency
• List of Pakistani journalists

References[link]

External links[link]

• Meray Mutabiq Archive
• Shahid Masood Columns at IBITIANS.com (urdu)