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Arab News
3 days ago
- Arab News
Police say no toxins detected in Pakistani actress Humaira Asghar Ali's body
KARACHI: Pakistani police said on Friday no toxic substances were found in the body of Humaira Asghar Ali, a 42-year-old actress whose remains were discovered in Karachi last week, nine months after her death. Ali, originally from Lahore, had been living alone in a rented apartment in Karachi's Ittehad Commercial area for nearly seven years while pursuing an acting career. Her decomposed body was discovered on July 8 when a court-appointed bailiff broke into her apartment to vacate the property over unpaid rent. 'The chemical report confirms that no sedative, psychotic, narcotic or poisonous substance was detected in the samples,' said Mahroz Ali, Senior Superintendent of Police, citing findings by the Industrial Analytical Center at the University of Karachi's HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry. The forensic analysis included tests on hair, lung and liver samples, and found no evidence of foul play from toxic substances. According to Deputy Inspector General of Police, Syed Asad Raza, police believe Ali died sometime between the evening of October 7 and 8, 2024. Speaking in an interview with Arab News last week, Raza said the considerable delay in discovering the body has complicated the investigation. 'We are pursuing four possibilities: natural death, accidental death, suicide or homicide,' Raza said. 'At present, natural or accidental death appears more likely based on the available evidence.' The room where the body was found served as both a painting studio and a passage to the washroom. Raza noted Ali may have slipped and fallen while doing laundry. A tub filled with washed clothes was discovered in the washroom, suggesting she may have been in the process of household chores at the time of the incident, though there was no blood around her. 'There were no fractured bones, no signs of bleeding and no evidence of a physical struggle,' Raza said. 'Typically, in cases of foul play, there are signs of resistance, but we didn't find any.' Despite the absence of overt signs of foul play, Raza said investigators are not ruling out any possibilities, including third-party involvement. 'It's a remote possibility, but we are continuing to investigate that angle,' he said. Police have collected and sent digital devices found at the scene, including mobile phones and tablets, for forensic analysis, he added.
Arab News
3 days ago
- Arab News
Actor Humaira Asghar's death highlights quiet epidemic of urban isolation in Pakistan
KARACHI: When the decomposed body of Pakistani actress Humaira Asghar was discovered in her Karachi apartment earlier this month, it had been at least nine months since she passed away. The 42-year-old, originally from Lahore, had moved to Karachi to pursue her acting career and had been living alone for nearly seven years. Ali's remains were finally found at a flat in the city's Ittehad Commercial area when a court bailiff arrived to vacate the rented property, following a complaint by the landlord due to non-payment of rent for months. Police said the bailiff broke open the door and found the deceased inside. The apartment's electricity had been cut off and food in the fridge had expired months earlier. Authorities now believe Ali likely died of natural or accidental causes in October 2024, and no one realized. Her case has stirred uncomfortable conversations in Pakistan about the silent toll of urban isolation, especially in large cities like Karachi, where rapid expansion, changing family structures and weakening community bonds are quietly reshaping how people live — and die. Deputy Inspector General of Karachi police, Syed Asad Raza, said Asghar had shown signs of severe financial distress before her death. 'She was struggling to revive her career while socially disconnected from family and friends,' Raza told Arab News. 'We also found evidence indicating that, shortly before her death, she had reached out to several of her friends seeking financial help.' Last month, the body of veteran actress Ayesha Khan was also discovered in her Karachi apartment, around a week after her death. Welfare groups like the Edhi Foundation say such cases are rising, though comprehensive national data is lacking. 'There has definitely been an increase in this,' said Faisal Edhi, chairman of the charity, which frequently recovers unclaimed bodies. 'Now we have started finding individual bodies and in large numbers.' URBAN MIGRATION, SHRINKING SAFETY NETS According to World Bank estimates, nearly 44 percent of Pakistanis now live in urban areas, up from 35 percent in 2010. 'Maybe 50 years ago, 70 percent of people were living in villages. Now nearly 70 percent or more are in large cities,' Sociologist Dr. Fateh Muhammad Burfat, former vice chancellor of Sindh University, said, linking the rise in unattended deaths to the collapse of traditional village-based social safety nets. 'So this is not only a change from rural life to urban life, but a change in our whole social life.' Indeed, mental health experts warn that loneliness isn't just a social issue but a serious health risk. Karachi-based psychiatrist Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Afridi cited WHO findings that over 870,000 people died globally in 2024 due to conditions linked to extreme isolation. 'In fact, loneliness has been found to be more painful and damaging than conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure,' he said. 'It has also been observed that people who get disconnected from their friends, family and social circles often develop several diseases along with physical, psychological and social issues.' 'BIGGEST CON' In the wake of Ali's death, many are asking: why didn't the industry check in on its own? Model and actor Zainab Raza, who moved from Lahore to Karachi in 2020, described living alone as 'the biggest con' of independence. 'It's not necessary that everyone has family or friends who check in on them,' she said. 'You can find people who also need that support, and you can be there for each other.' After Asghar's death, a group of actors in Karachi created a WhatsApp support group called Connectivity 101, where members check in on each other daily via simple polls. 'Maybe if such groups and support systems existed when Humaira was around, things would have been a lot better,' Raza said. 'Maybe she would have been with us today.' Burfat, the sociologist, said women who were financially well-off but independent did not face the same level of social security issues as Ali, 'who had been unable to pay her rent, whose electricity was cut off, and whose parents were also not supporting her.' 'So, the world we have now entered,' he said, 'these types of incidents will keep happening.'
The Independent
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Pakistani actor Humaira Asghar Ali found dead in Karachi flat
Pakistani actress and model Humaira Asghar Ali, 32, was found dead in her Karachi flat on Tuesday. Police said her body was found after officers arrived at her home in the Defence Housing Authority neighbourhood to enforce a court-ordered eviction. According to a Dawn report, officers from the Gizri police station broke down Ali's door after a court-appointed bailiff received no response and found her body lying inside. Ali, who lived alone, had reportedly not paid her rent since 2024, prompting the landlord to seek legal action. South Karachi police chief Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that the flat's doors, including the balcony entrance, were locked from the inside and showed no signs of forced entry, leading investigators to rule out foul play. According to Geo News, neighbours had not seen the actress in several weeks and noticed a foul smell coming from her flat. Police suspect that she died some two weeks before her body was found and are working to trace her relatives through mobile phone records. 'It appeared that the body was several days old,' Mr Raza said. The body was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre where a postmortem examination was done on Tuesday night. Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said the body was in an advanced stage of decomposition and the exact cause of death could not yet be determined. She said forensic and toxicology tests would be required before conclusions could be drawn. 'The cause of death is reserved,' she said. Ali was born in Lahore and trained in Visual and Performing Arts at the National College of Arts as well as the College of Art and Design at Punjab University. She was best known for her appearance in the ARY Digital reality show Tamasha Ghar and her role in the 2015 film Jalaibee. In 2023, she received a National Woman Leadership Award for her contribution to media and entertainment. Tamasha Ghar host Adnan Siddiqui posted a tribute to Ali on Instagram. 'Deeply shocked and saddened,' he said. 'A young life cut so short suddenly. May you be in peace Humaira and your family get the strength to deal with the vacuum you have left behind.' Ali's Ehsaan Faramosh co-star Atiqa Odho posted a picture with her from their time working on the show. 'Woke up to this shocking and tragic news. Unbelievable as she had so much life to look forward to,' he said on Instagram. 'We worked in Ehsaan Faramosh serial together and she was such a gentle soul. Never thought that she would leave us so soon. I hope authorities get to the truth and we find out what happened to Humaira Asghar so that we may be able to help others in the future before we lose them in this unfortunate manner. Tragic, tragic, tragic. Humaira, may you rest in peace my dear, wherever you are. Ameen.'
Mint
08-07-2025
- Mint
Pakistani actress Humaira Asghar found dead in Karachi apartment
Pakistani actress Humaira Asghar was found dead in her apartment in Karachi, police confirmed on Tuesday, July 8. The body was discovered in a flat located in Ittehad Commercial, Phase VI of the city. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza told Pakistani media that officers arrived at the scene around 3 p.m. and, after receiving no response at the door, broke the lock to gain entry. Upon entering, they discovered the decomposed body of the actress, who is believed to have died approximately two weeks earlier. Asghar, whose age is reported to be between 30 and 35, had been living alone in the flat for the past seven years. 'It appeared that the body was several days old,' DIG Raza stated. According to Niche Lifestyle, her death is reportedly being treated as 'natural' at this stage, though authorities have confirmed that a formal investigation is ongoing. Forensic teams were called to the apartment immediately to collect evidence. The body has since been sent to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for a post-mortem examination. Dr Summaiya Syed, who is overseeing the process, confirmed that the remains were 'in a very advanced stage of decomposition,' making it more difficult to determine the exact cause of death without further analysis. No further details have been released at this time, and police have urged the public to avoid speculation as they continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the actress's death.
Saudi Gazette
05-07-2025
- Climate
- Saudi Gazette
Deadly building collapse in Karachi kills 15, leaves nine injured
KARACHI — A residential building collapsed in the southeastern Pakistani city of Karachi, killing 15 people and injuring nine others, local media reported on Saturday. The five-story structure, located in Sindh province, came crashing down on Friday afternoon, according to Dawnnewspaper, which cited police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed. Rescue teams worked through the night to search for survivors and recover bodies from the debris. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South Syed Asad Raza said the building had been previously declared uninhabitable by local authorities due to its deteriorating condition. He added that the structure was further weakened by recent heavy rains, ultimately leading to the collapse. Dr. Syed confirmed that no additional injuries were reported after 3 p.m. local time (1000 GMT) on Friday, with the final number of injured holding at nine. — Agencies
