Parents unhappy with Humaira Asghar's showbiz career, says uncle at burial

• Family says she was happy in her work.
• Uncle says no police report was ever filed.
• "No one leaves their child like that."

LAHORE: The uncle of late actor and model Humaira Asghar Ali has said that her parents were not happy with her decision to work in the showbiz industry, but she had continued with the career out of passion and was content with her life.

Speaking to the media at the graveyard ahead of her burial on Friday, Mohammad Ali, the uncle of the deceased, said that while Humaira was in touch over the phone, her family had no knowledge of her residence in Karachi, where she had shifted in 2018.

“When she came to Lahore, she would always visit home,” he said. “She enjoyed painting and was happy with her work, but her parents were not pleased with her decision to join showbiz.”

Responding to questions about the family’s lack of contact for 8 to 10 months, the uncle insisted that ties had not been severed. “We didn’t know where she lived."

When asked why no police report was filed after her phone was switched off, Mohammad Ali said: “No, we did not contact the police.”

He suggested that the responsibility also lay with the landlord, saying: “The landlord should have noticed and reached out. A copy of the rental contract is always shared — one with the paying guest, one with the landlord.”

When pressed about the family’s responsibility to check on her well-being, he responded: “No one leaves their child like that. Humaira said she was happy, and her parents told her, ‘If you’re happy, then so are we’.”

His remarks came hours after the post-mortem report, prepared by Police Surgeon Summaiya Syed, revealed that body of Pakistani actor — discovered earlier this week from a flat in Karachi’s Defence Phase VI — was in an advanced stage of decomposition, with initial findings suggesting she had died eight to 10 months ago.

The body was severely decomposed and unrecognisable at the time of recovery, it stated, adding that despite the level of decay, no fractures were detected anywhere in the bones.

The report added that extent of the decomposition has made it impossible to determine the exact cause of death at this stage. However, DNA profiling and toxicology tests are under way and are expected to provide further insight.

The body of actor-cum-model was found earlier this week when law enforcement personnel visited her apartment to enforce a court-ordered eviction. After receiving no response, the police forced open the door and discovered her body lying on the floor. She had reportedly been living alone in the flat for the past seven years.

Humaira had appeared in the reality show "Tamasha Ghar" and the film "Jalaibee".

News of her death has sparked an outpouring of grief from fellow actors and the wider entertainment community. Many took to social media to express sorrow and urged people to look after those who live alone.

Her passing came less than a month after the death of veteran actress Ayesha Khan, whose body was also found in her flat in Karachi under similar circumstances.