Dawn Images

Legal representatives for Aliza Sultan have submitted to Karachi’s District East family court evidence of abuse in the form of medico-legal and emergency room reports in a case filed by her former husband Feroze Khan.

The family court is hearing two cases — one filed by Khan for custody of their two children and another filed by Sultan for maintenance money for the children. Details of the hearing of the first case on October 20 came to light after photographs emerged of Sultan’s bruises.

Those were among the documents submitted to the court as well as a report from the Accident and Emergency Department at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre documenting a complaint of assault in November 2020, mentioning “blunt injuries on both arms, [the] back, chest and face”. A “minor nosebleed” was also recorded. The provisional diagnosis read that it was an “assault”. Sultan was prescribed a Panadol by the doctor after having her face examined via X-ray.

Along with the medical report, she submitted a medico-legal officer report from November 16, 2020 from the Darakhshan Police Station. It read that she was injured during a “personal fight” and was treated at JPMC.

Sultan’s lawyer, Qaim Shah, told Images that the documents were submitted after Khan requested the court to restrain Sultan from sharing details of the case on social media. The documents were shared, he said, as proof that she was not lying on social media.

The lawyer argued that the family court has not passed any restraining order preventing Sultan from sharing details on social media, nor does it have the power to do so. Somehow, the documents were leaked to the media, Shah said, adding that they had no intention to do so.

The next hearing of the case is on November 1.

The former couple announced their intention to divorce last month, adding that they are in the middle of court proceedings discussing custody and visitation rights for their two children. Sultan had said she was physically and psychologically abused by her former partner during their marriage. Khan refused to comment.

On September 22, Sultan shared a statement on Instagram. “Our marriage of four years was utter chaos. In addition to a continuous physical and psychological violence during this period, I had to endure infidelity, blackmail and degradation at my husband’s hands. After careful consideration, I have reached the sad conclusion that I cannot spend my whole life in this horrific manner,” she wrote.

She said it was the thought of her children that finally made her call it quits. “The welfare and well-being of my children have played a significant role in this decision. I do not want them to grow up in a toxic, unhealthy and violent household. I’m afraid that their mental development and approach to life would be negatively impacted by exposure to such [a] hostile environment,” Sultan wrote.

The Aye Musht-e-Khaak actor released a statement came a couple of hours after Sultan’s was posted. He shared details of their divorce filings and trials saying, “As a law-abiding citizen of Pakistan I have full confidence in the justice of the Court. Our divorce was finalised on September 2, 2022, after which I filed a family law case asking custody of and visitation rights pertaining to my children Sultan and Fatima in the eighth family judge district, East Karachi on September 19 2022.”

He said, at the time, that he cannot discuss the case more. “As concerns my ex-wife, I shall extend her my respect and support as she is the mother of my children. I am afraid I am not in a position to further discuss this matter as the case is pending before the Court.”

Sultan and Khan married in 2018 and share a son and a daughter together.