Pakistani actress and model Humaira Asghar Ali was found dead in her flat in Karachi's Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase-VI on Tuesday (July 8). In a shocking turn of events, Humaira's father has refused to claim her dead body and said the family had cut ties with her long back.
According to a report in Images, the Sindh culture department has offered to handle the burial and funeral arrangements of Humaira, in the absence of any legal heirs willing to take responsibility.
Media reports have stated that police initially contacted Humaira's brother through her phone records, but were instructed to speak directly with her father.
'We cut off ties with her long back'
The response from her father, Dr Asghar Ali, a retired army doctor, was reportedly even more distressing. He allegedly told officials, "We have cut off ties with her long ago. Do whatever you want with her body. We will not receive it."
Following this, authorities stated they would make one final attempt to persuade her father to take responsibility and perform the last rites according to their traditions. If he refuses again, the body will be considered heirless and buried accordingly.
Besides the Sindh culture department, actors Yashma Gill and Sonya Hussayn are among others who have reportedly stepped forward and offered to arrange the burial for the model-actress.
Humaira Asghar's death
The 32-year-old had likely passed away nearly two weeks before the discovery and her body was found in 'advanced decomposed state'.
The Gizri police had arrived at the residence around 3:15 pm on the orders of a local court, following a request from the landlord to have the apartment vacated due to unpaid rent.
When there was no response at the door, officers forcibly entered and found Humaira's decomposed body inside. The apartment had been locked from the inside, including the balcony door, suggesting no immediate signs of foul play.
Reports have also stated that the actress had been living alone in the rented apartment and had stopped paying rent earlier this year. The landlord approached the court for eviction after being unable to contact her.
While preliminary investigations suggest that the death may not have been a homicide, police say they are awaiting the postmortem report to determine the exact cause.
Who was Humaira Asghar?
Humaira had featured in ARY's reality show Tamasha Ghar, a project which has its concept similar to Big Brother. She also appeared in the 2015 action-thriller film Jalaibee. She was seen as a model in the Pakistani film.
Humaira was also a part of other Pakistani dramas like Just Married, Chal Dil Mere, Ehsaan Faramosh and Guru.
She was last seen in the film Love Vaccine which starred Farhan Saeed and Sonya Hussyn in the lead roles. The film released in 2021.
