A FORMER Nobel Peace Prize nominee and human rights activist, Asma Jahangir, has died at the age of 66.

The Pakistani campaigner, who originally trained as a lawyer, died in hospital in Lahore on Sunday morning after a cardiac arrest, according to local media reports.

Jahangir made a name for herself championing women’s rights, promoting democracy and standing up for minority groups.

Pakistani Prime Minister, Shadid Khaqan Abbasi, has praised her “immense contributions towards upholding rule of law, democracy and safeguarding human rights”.

The activist became the co-founder of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in 1987 and helped set up the country’s first ever legal aid centre.

Before then, she had played a crucial role in the establishment of the Pakistani Women’s Action Forum - a women’s rights organisation which does lobbying and advocacy on behalf of women across the country.

Malala Yousafzai, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, said she was “heartbroken” to hear the news.

She tweeted: “We lost Asma Jahangir - a saviour of democracy and human rights.

“The best tribute to her is to continue her fight for human rights and democracy.”

Jahangir’s work was recognised with a Unesco/Bilbao prize for human rights campaigning in 2010 and a Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 2005.