Aurat Foundation is deeply grieved on the death of Asad Rehman

Lahore: Aurat Foundation is deeply grieved on the death of renowned human rights activist and ex-colleague Asad Rehman. He spent about six years in Aurat Foundation and worked untiringly for the uplift of women and deprived masses. He held different positions in Aurat Foundation and contributed a great deal in establishing Women Councilors Resource Centers at district level under political education program of Aurat Foundation.
Asad Rehman’s demise is a great loss not only to his family but to the civil society, particularly to the deprived and marginalized people of Balochistan for whose rights he relentlessly struggled and fought for till his death.
Asad worked as a journalist and community development practitioner with a number of institutions before finally becoming executive director of Sungi Development Foundation. For over 40 years he worked and campaigned in various capacities for the realisation of people’s rights. He continued writing for newspapers as well, offering succinct political comment. His contribution to the social, labour, women’s, minority and cultural movements was consistent all along.
Asad gave credit to his parents for shaping his social and political views. His father, Justice S A Rahman, retired as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1968. Soon after, Justice Rahman was appointed chairman of the commission that tried Sheikh Mujibur Rehman in the Agartala Conspiracy Case. He was also the chief election commissioner for the 1970 elections, the fairest elections we ever had. Asad’s mother was a social worker who served women and children from disadvantaged groups until her death.
Asad was a man of principles and never compromised on those principles. He was a genuine believer of human rights and he would always go a long way to ensure that the voices of the people were heard.
In this reference, Resident Director Aurat Foundation, Nasreen Zehra, Member of Board of Director Samina Rehman, Mrs Asad Rehman, Mumtaz Mughal, Regional Director of SPO Salman Abid, Iftikhar Rasool, Abid Ali, Imtiaz-ul-Haq, Zahid Islam, Hasna Cheema, and coordinators of Sargodha, Jhang, Gujranwala also presented and highlights the different aspects of Asad’s life.