Dawn Images

Seeing the way young women in Pakistan assert themselves today, I am reminded of the late Asma Jahangir. She lived in a Pakistan where dissent invited imprisonment, threats and social vilification, yet she persisted. Her resistance was not spontaneous; it was strategic, grounded in law, ethics, principles and an understanding of power. For Gen Z feminists, her life offers a lens to analyse both the possibilities and limits of activism in contexts shaped by patriarchy and authoritarian governance.

During her most active years, Pakistan was under military rule, and a series of discriminatory laws — most notably the Hudood Ordinances — created institutionalised, gendered oppression. These laws systematically restricted women’s autonomy and became tools to intimidate marginalised communities. Against this backdrop, Jahangir’s interventions were radical. She challenged not only specific laws but also the social and institutional structures that normalised injustice.

Her work demonstrates that feminist resistance in Pakistan has always required engagement with both the legal system and the social fabric that supports it.

What makes her legacy particularly relevant for Gen Z is the structural similarity between past and present forms of oppression. Young women today face gendered surveillance in public spaces, harassment in institutions and social policing of mobility and speech. While the mechanisms may have evolved — with digital harassment, social media scrutiny and institutional inertia replacing overt legal restrictions — the underlying logic of control remains. Recent judicial developments show how the struggle she championed is far from over.

The recent reclassification of a rape conviction as consensual adultery, reducing a 20-year sentence to five years, revealed persistent patriarchal assumptions about consent and credibility. The majority reasoning, centred on the absence of visible coercion, delayed reporting and lack of physical resistance, echoed older evidentiary standards that discount the realities of trauma, fear and power imbalances.

Even advances in marital rape convictions are contested: a landmark 2024 conviction in a Karachi sessions court marked progress in Sindh, sentencing a man to three years for non-consensual acts within marriage, but this was contrasted by a 2025 Lahore High Court ruling that limited accountability for acts shortly after divorce. These contradictions show that while the law can change, the social and institutional logics that perpetuate gendered oppression remain resilient.

Jahangir’s insistence on challenging authority, defending the structurally excluded and refusing compromise offers a framework for understanding these contemporary struggles. Resistance is not only about visible protest; it is persistent engagement with systems of power. Her feminism was inherently intersectional. She defended women, religious minorities, children and bonded labourers.

She recognised that oppression operates along multiple axes — gender, religion, class and region — and that a failure to address these intersections weakens the fight for justice. Jahangir’s activism consistently refused to let the concerns of the elite overshadow the everyday struggles of the marginalised, insisting that legal reform and advocacy must reflect lived realities. For young feminists today, this is a vital lesson.

It is crucial that Gen Z feminism does not become dominated by privileged voices and detached from the realities of working-class women; movements must remain attentive to economic inequality, ensuring that their demands, strategies and victories do not leave the most affected behind. For Gen Z activism to be transformative, it must carry forward this commitment to inclusivity and solidarity across social divides.

Another critical lesson lies in the ethical dimension of her activism. Jahangir consistently refused to compromise on principle. Even under personal threat, she prioritised moral clarity over personal safety or popularity. For Gen Z, this is a vital reminder that sustainable activism depends on ethical consistency. In a society where women are constantly navigating the tension between safety and voice, her life serves as an example that true resistance demands courage, strategy and integrity.

Her strategies were both pragmatic and visionary. She did not rely solely on individual advocacy but nurtured institutions such as the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and AGHS Legal Aid. These structures ensured that resistance could outlast her own life, creating a legacy that continues to shape legal and social debates today. Contemporary Gen Z activism, though dynamic and highly visible, often struggles with sustainability. Jahangir’s life underscores the importance of combining immediate action with long-term institutional work.

Reflecting on her legacy also requires acknowledging the generational shift in modes of resistance. Gen Z often operates in a hyper-connected environment, with digital mobilisation amplifying voices but also exposing activists to new forms of scrutiny and surveillance. Jahangir’s era required physical courage, legal literacy and moral precision. The challenge for Gen Z is to translate similar principles — strategic thinking, intersectional awareness and ethical courage — into new contexts, balancing visibility with sustainability and personal safety with collective accountability.

As we marked her birthday on January 27, it becomes clear that Jahangir’s relevance is not symbolic. It is analytical and practical. She offers a blueprint for confronting systemic oppression, defending the most affected and building institutions that enable persistent resistance. For Gen Z feminists, she is a reminder that the work of resistance is layered, risky and ongoing. Every march, protest or public assertion of agency is part of a continuum that she helped shape, yet one that demands constant self-scrutiny to avoid replicating the exclusions it fights.

Her life teaches that courage is human, ethical and strategic. For a generation negotiating fear, digital and physical surveillance, and persistent patriarchal control, her strategies remain instructive. Gen Z feminists inherit not only her inspiration but also her methodology: challenge oppressive structures, defend the marginalised, refuse to compromise and create enduring systems for justice. In a rapidly changing political and social landscape, her legacy provides both a mirror and a guide.