Humaira Asghar Ali was the youngest in a family of doctors, but she chose a different path by studying Fine Arts and later joining the showbiz industry — a decision her family didn’t support. She had been living alone in a two-bedroom flat in DHA Karachi since 2018. Her life became lonely and quiet, with hardly any visitors. In the last few months, she faced serious financial troubles. She stopped paying rent and utility bills, and her electricity was disconnected. When the landlord took legal action to evict her, police entered the apartment and found her dead body — severely decomposed and likely there for almost nine months.
The apartment was clean and well-furnished, showing she once lived in better conditions, but police believe her situation worsened recently. There was no sign of forced entry or foul play, but her food had expired in September-October 2024, and her phone and social media activity also stopped in early October. All evidence points to her dying alone sometime in early October.
When police contacted her family, her father — who is alive despite online rumors — refused to take her body, saying they had no contact with her and that she had left the family by choosing showbiz against their wishes. Although she had over 700,000 Instagram followers and used to do charity work with special needs children, no one noticed she had gone missing for months.
Eventually, the Sindh Cultural Department offered to arrange her burial. Actress Mehrbano Sethi from Lahore stepped forward to perform her funeral rites, even though she never knew Humaira personally. Only after her death did some Karachi actors contact authorities — possibly just to be seen on social media, since none had cared when she was alive.
According to police officer DIG Asad Raza, people in elite areas like DHA are very disconnected. Neighbors don’t check on each other, and no one noticed anything unusual. Humaira used to care for vulnerable children, but no one cared for her when she needed it most. Her story is heartbreaking — a tale of loneliness, societal neglect, and how we treat women who make their own choices. Why do we shame daughters for being independent, while sons are rarely questioned? Why must women prove their worth even after death? These are questions we need to ask ourselves