After the death of actress and model Humaira Asghar Ali, her family faced allegations of negligence. However, her brother Naveed Asghar has strongly denied these claims, stating that the family was in regular contact with Humaira, attributing a previous statement given by his father to mental stress.
The body of Humaira Asghar, who was found dead in an apartment in Karachi’s Defence Phase 6 on Tuesday, has officially been handed over to her brother. The police had discovered her decomposed remains while vacating the apartment on a court order.
Earlier reports had claimed that Humaira’s father had refused to accept her body. Later, her brother-in-law contacted the police, but they stated that the body could only be released to a blood relative.
Naveed Asghar arrived in Karachi on Thursday, and then contacted the police, to complete all legal formalities. The Chhipa Foundation then handed over the body to him.
Speaking to the media alongside Ramzan Chhipa, Naveed said, “My sister was independent, may Allah forgive her and make her future journey easy.”
He addressed the rumors of the family neglecting her, saying, “The news that we had become detached from our sister is wrong. We were in constant contact with the police and Chhipa since the last three days, and we had to come to claim the body. Since legal proceedings take time, so now we have received the body.”
Naveed explained the mental state of his parents when they received the news of her death: “Our younger aunt recently died in a traffic accident. Both our parents were already in deep stress. Then, we got the news of Humaira’s death. Calls started pouring in, and under that mental pressure, our father said those words.”
He added, “My sister came into showbiz on her own. She was independent. But it’s natural for parents to worry and question, because it’s their responsibility to guide and protect their children.”
Revealing more about their family dynamics, he said, “Our mother hadn’t been in contact with Humaira for almost a year. The last time they spoke, she had asked Humaira where she lived, but Humaira didn’t tell her. Her phone remained switched off for the past six months. We tried to reach her many times but failed. Even our mother didn’t know where she was living.”
Naveed also criticized the media’s handling of the situation. “The media is constantly discussing our family, but they should also focus on other aspects of the case. Why has no one questioned the landlord? How was the flat opened? Why didn’t the landlord inform us earlier?”
He continued, “My mother is suffering mentally due to the media coverage. We also ask: did someone break the lock and enter? Why were there no CCTV cameras in the building? If there had been CCTV, the facts could’ve come out earlier.”
About the condition of the body, Naveed said, “The body is not in a condition where anything can be said. We will decide our next steps after the forensic report is released.”
On the other hand, Ramzan Chhipa, head of the Chhipa Welfare Foundation, confirmed Naveed’s consistent contact saying, “Naveed was in touch with me for the past two to three days. The rumors on social media that the family abandoned Humaira are completely false.”
He clarified, “The impression that Humaira Asghar’s parents refused to take her body is baseless.”
The model’s relatives have now left with her body for Lahore.
