South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR) a regional network of human rights defenders, has established the South Asian Councillors for Human Rights, Democracy and Peace, a distinguished group of six senior and highly respected human rights defenders from South Asia. With strong credibility and a deep commitment to advancing a South Asian perspective, the Councillors will amplify the voices of the marginalised and silenced communities, thereby strengthening the role of civil society in highlighting shared regional concerns. The group aims to expand its membership in the near future, further enhancing its collective impact across South Asia.
In light of the numerous critical crises that have recently unfolded across the region, including the three youth led mass uprisings since 2022 that resulted in the overthrow of incumbent governments in three nation states, SAHR has identified an urgent need for a stronger voice of resistance, guidance and principled leadership. Such leadership is essential to address contemporary challenges that increasingly transcend national borders. Simultaneously, global level crises stemming from policy decisions made in the Global North have further intensified the vulnerability of South Asian nation states, directly and indirectly endangering their populations. In these circumstances, a renewed and regionally grounded response, drawing on South Asia’s own knowledge, expertise, and lived realities, is critical to reset strategies against ongoing egregious human rights violations and growing constraints on fundamental freedoms. This approach is vital to resolving conflicts, consolidating peace and ensuring non-recurrence.
In the absence of a regional human rights mechanism, the South Asian Councillors seek to leverage their collective convening power to engage governments on behalf of the people of the region. Through strategic advocacy, they aim to bring greater visibility to shared and cross cutting concerns, including the rise of authoritarianism, sectarianism, and communalism in South Asia; conflicts and their root causes and consequences; inequality; discrimination and exclusion; transitional justice; refugees and migration; climate change; access to justice and the role and relevance of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation among other critical issues.
It is anticipated that sustained engagement with judiciaries, political institutions and national mechanisms for dialogue will help broaden the agenda for the protection and promotion of human rights, democratic values and peace at regional level. This, in turn, will strengthen the role and influence of civil society at both national and regional levels.
Given below are short biographies of the current South Asian Councillors:
Hina Jilani
Hina Jilani is a Lawyer at the Supreme Court of Pakistan and a human rights defender from Lahore. She co-founded AGHS Legal Aid Cell (ALAC), Pakistan’s first all-women law firm, its first legal aid centre, and the Women’s Action Forum, an advocacy group to campaign against discriminatory legislation.
Jilani is also one of She is also one of the founders of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. She also helped set up ‘Dastak’, a women’s shelter which is committed to raise awareness for human rights and protection of women. Throughout her commitment as a human rights defender, she has faced numerous threats to her life. She is a former United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General on Human Rights Defenders (2000-2008). She was also a member of the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur (2006); She was a member of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (2009). She is a former Chairperson of SAHR.
Sultana Kamal
Sultana Kamal is a lawyer and human rights activist from Bangladesh. She was an Advisor to the Caretaker Government (October -December 2006). She is a former Executive Director of the Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), a leading human rights organisation in the country (September 2001 – March 2016). She is the founder president of Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation (MSF) founded in 2027. Kamal is one of the four women CNC’s Special Commendation for their role in the liberation war of Bangladesh. She is a former Chairperson of SAHR.
Dr. Hameeda Hossain
Dr Hossain is a renowned human rights activist and academic in Bangladesh and has published many books and articles widely on a variety of topics, including women’s experiences of the war, arts and crafts, the apparel industry, women workers, and human rights. She is a founding member of Ain O Salish Kendra, a legal aid and human rights organisation. She was also the co-founder of the English-language magazine Forum which started in 1969, which played a critical role in raising awareness of the systemic inequities and discrimination suffered by the people of East Pakistan. Dr Hameeda Hossain has been one of the founding members of SAHR and also served as Co-Chairperson and Bureau Member for several years.
Dr. Syeda Hameed
Dr. Hameed is a social and women’s rights activist, educationist, writer and a former member of the Planning Commission of India. She is the president of the National Federation of Indian Women and the founder trustee of the Women’s Initiative for Peace in South Asian (WIPSA) and the Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation. She is a former member of the National Commission for Women (1997 – 2000). She chaired the Steering Committee of the Commission on Health which reviewed the National Health Policy of 2002, till the dissolution of the body in 2025. She served the Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) as its chancellor. Dr. Hameed received Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour in 2007, for her contribution to Indian society.
Kanak Mani Dixit
Kanak Dixit, is a writer and journalist, publisher as well as a South Asian civil rights and democracy activist. He is the Founding Editor of ‘Himal Southasian’ magazine. He has been a vigorous campaigner for subcontinental regionalism. He writes on themes related to travel, culture and environment and is active in the conservation of built heritage and open spaces. He leads the main archives of the Nepali language, the Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya. Believing in the power of non-fiction film, he helped start and chairs the Film South Asia Festival of Documentaries started in 1997 and still continues. Kanak Dixit heads Nepal’s only public bus transport company and is very much involved in developing a public transportation system for the Kathmandu Valley.
Dr. Sima Samar
Dr. Samar is a renowned human rights advocate, activist and medical doctor from Afghanistan. In 2019 She was appointed as a member of the High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. She was the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan from 2005 to 2009. She held the position of the Chairperson of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC). She was also the Chairperson of the Commission for the Prevention of Torture and the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF). Dr. Samar had served as Vice President of Afghanistan in the interim government of Hamid Karzai and the Minister for Women’s Affairs.
On behalf of the members of the South Asians for Human Rights
Dr Radhika Coomaraswamy
Chairperson
Dr. Roshmi Goswami
Co-Chairperson