Brother claims body of Pakistani actress Humaira Asghar Ali, denies family disowned her
Ali's body was found on Tuesday when a court bailiff arrived at her rented flat in Karachi's upscale Ittehad Commercial area to vacate the property following a complaint by the landlord. A post-mortem conducted by Karachi Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed indicated the body had decomposed for more than a month, but further forensic investigation suggests Ali likely died in October 2024, nearly nine months ago.
Police initially said Ali's family had declined to claim her body, prompting Sindh's Minister for Culture and Tourism, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, to announce that the provincial government would arrange her last rites. Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori also offered to assist with the burial.
However, Naveed Asghar, the deceased actor's brother, arrived from Lahore to claim her remains from the Chhipa morgue. Speaking to reporters before leaving for Lahore, Asghar refuted reports that the family had refused to take responsibility for his sister's burial.
'We have come here and after fulfilling all the legal requirements, have received the dead body,' Asghar said.
Asghar said his sister moved to Karachi from Lahore seven years ago on her own accord and had distanced herself from the family, telling their father that she was 'responsible for my own affairs.' She would visit their home once every six months to a year but had not been in touch for the past year and a half.
He added that the family had attempted to trace Ali about six months ago but her phone numbers were switched off and she had never shared her exact address. When they contacted one of her friends, they were told that she 'did not know the actress.'
'Then when this incident happened, we were suddenly shocked, especially since there was already a situation at home with our paternal aunt,' Asghar said, referring to an aunt who had died in a recent road accident. He explained that the stress of persistent calls from reporters had added to their grief.
'That is why my father said that if there is any emergency, then you can bury her there [in Karachi],' Asghar said.
He also criticized sections of the media for focusing on the family's absence rather than investigating the circumstances surrounding his sister's death.
'Whatever matters took place with the landlord, did any of you interview him?' he asked reporters. 'You created noise all over Lahore, across Pakistan, and even around the world. But we have come here to take our sister. There are certain formalities that the police have to complete, after which the body is handed over.'
The condition of Ali's remains made the situation even more distressing. Dr. Syed, the Karachi police surgeon who conducted the post-mortem, said:
'Viscera completely autolyzed and reduced [to an] unidentifiable blackish mass. We have collected hair and specimen from [the] abdomen for chemical analysis. For positive identification, the blood sample of the brother has been collected.'
Ali rose to fame after winning the Veet Miss Super Model title in 2014 and appearing in the reality show Tamasha Ghar in 2022. She also featured in several television dramas, including Just Married, Ehsaan Faramosh, Guru, and Chal Dil Mere. On the big screen, she appeared in the 2015 action-thriller Jalaibee and in Love Vaccine in 2021.
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