In February 1980, with her sister Asma Jahangir, Jilani co-founded Pakistan's first all-female legal aid practice, AGHS Legal Aid Cell (ALAC) in Lahore. Initially, its activities were confined to providing legal aid to women, but these activities gradually increased to include legal education, protection from exploitation, legal research, and counselling. She is also one of the founders of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan as well as the Women's Action Forum (WAF), an advocacy group established in 1980 to campaign against discriminatory legislation. Jilani also founded Pakistan's first legal aid centre in 1986.[2] In addition to providing pro bono legal aid, she helped set up a women's shelter called Dastak in 1991.[3] In addition to managing the shelter, Dastak organises workshops to raise awareness for human rights and the protection of women.[4]
As a result of their women's activism, Jilani and her sister Asma Jahangir have been arrested, received death threats, and faced intimidation and public abuse. Murder attempts have been made on them as well as members of their family.[10] In 1999, after working on the case of Samia Sarwar, Jilani and Jahangir were again subject to death threats. Sarwar's mother came with a gunman to her office on the pretext of seeking reconciliation with her daughter. The gunman shot Sarwar dead and fired at Jilani, who managed to escape.[11][12] On another occasion, gunmen entered her house and threatened members of her family. Jilani herself was away from home; the threats put pressure on her to migrate, but she continues to live and work in Lahore.[13][14]