- Chants of ‘Free, Free Palestine’ and ‘From the River to the Sea’ reverberate venue
- Conference organisers expel vocal youth advocating for Palestine
LAHORE: A pro-Palestine protester on Saturday interrupted and chanted slogans during the German ambassador’s speech on civil rights at the 5th Asma Jahangir Conference began here.
Germany’s Ambassador to Pakistan Alfred Grannas was speaking at the 5th Asma Jahangir Conference titled ‘People’s Mandate: Safeguarding Civil Rights in South Asia’.
As soon as the ambassador began his speech, the protester can be heard saying, “Excuse me, Mr Ambassador. I am shocked by the audacity that you are here to talk about civil rights while your country is brutally abusing the people speaking for the rights of the Palestinians.”
The Asma Jahangir Legal Aid Cell (AGHS) is hosting the two-day conference in collaboration with the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC).
The 5th Asma Jahangir Conference drew notable figures and foreign diplomats.
Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazir Tarar and Senior Supreme Court Judge Justice Mansoor Ali Shah were among the attendees.
Echoes of support for Gaza and Palestine reverberated through the venue, drawing applause and cheers from the audience. Chants of “Free, Free Palestine” and “From the River to the Sea” filled the air.
In response to the youth’s fervent expressions, the German ambassador lost control and scolded them, saying, “Shouting is not dialogue… if you wish to shout, do so outside… shame on you.”
Subsequently, conference organisers expelled the vocal youth advocating for Palestine. The event’s livestream briefly muted Grannas’ remarks and was temporarily disabled.
The Progressive Students Collective (PSC) condemned the suppression of dissent, highlighting the youth’s confrontation with the ambassador over Germany’s role in Gaza. Criticising the conference organisers, the PSC accused them of stifling student voices while providing a platform to proponents of Palestinian oppression.
After sometime, Ambassador Grannas resumed his speech, remarking that the “mother of all basic human rights is the protection of human dignity”, as well as the inviolability of human dignity.
“This actually brings [Germany] in commonality with Pakistan, because there are not too many countries in the world that have an explicit guarantee of the inviolability of human dignity,” he said, referencing Article 14 of Pakistan’s Constitution.
“When it comes to the role of the judiciary here, the Constitution guarantees the rights. But it’s the courts that interpret, safeguard and develop further those rights,” Grannas said.
He noted that the most important rule of the judiciary is safeguarding rights and preventing the rule of law from being substituted with the rule by law.
He also noted that the judiciary must not only protect rights on paper but put them into practice.
Grannas praised Pakistan’s courts for interpreting the law to the people’s benefit, saying, “a very concrete example is that there is no [compulsion] in attesting in criminal procedures.”
He also noted that the court’s interpretation of Article 14 led to the ending of the “infamous two-finger testing in rape cases.”
“So you see, these things have concrete consequences and positive effects on us all.”
The ambassador acknowledged the importance of conferences like these, stating that courts do not operate in a vacuum.
“Courts need input; courts need inspiration. And these intellectual and academic discussions here, the things that are developed here serve for the courts to draw inspiration,” Grannas said.
He noted that the results of these academic writings are used and incorporated in the court’s ruling when protecting and developing basic human rights
“I think it’s a useful exercise that we are here, and I wish us all fruitful discussions,” the ambassador concluded.
Former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Ahsan Bhoon, speaking at the Asma Jahangir Conference, underscored the global crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests, noting Asma Jahangir’s legacy of resistance against authoritarianism throughout her career.
