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‘The pictures are nothing compared to what I’ve seen’: Resham demands swift justice for Nargis

‘The pictures are nothing compared to what I’ve seen’: Resham demands swift justice for Nargis

After meeting her friend and former colleague, the actor spoke about her condition and appealed to the government to punish the perpetrator.
04 Nov, 2024

Actor Resham has called upon the government to ensure swift justice for her friend and former colleague, Nargis, who was allegedly subjected to severe physical abuse by her husband, police inspector Majid Bashir, in Lahore’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) on Friday.

In an emotional video shared to her Instagram moments after meeting Nargis, Resham, visibly shaken by what she saw, said, “The pictures and video you saw of her face, that is nothing compared to the bruises I’ve seen in person.”

Nargis, born Ghazala Idrees, was a highly successful actor and stage performer who appeared in over 100 films. According to Resham, Nargis quit her career in entertainment out of respect for her husband’s wishes, adopting a more modest lifestyle.

“To save her home, she quit everything; theatre, film, whatever her husband disapproved of. She wore the abaya, she had been performing Hajj and Umrah since before. She’s also been successfully running a salon. I can swear on the Holy Quran that I’ve witnessed her being a slave to her husband’s whims. And the face I saw today, gave me so much pain,” said the star.

Resham acknowledged that there are many women like Nargis, who get raped and tortured and say nothing. Strongly condemning such abuse, she added, “I don’t consider such men, men. This is not masculinity.”

According to the FIR, Bashir assaulted Nargis after she refused to transfer her property to his name.

“From what I’ve read in the FIR, the butt of his government-issued gun was used to smash her face. The picture is still much better. The bruises I’ve seen are much worse. What upset me is that this woman quit everything for that man,” continued the actor.

Resham also recalled speaking to Nargis on video call whenever the latter would get the chance. “We’d video call whenever she would go to meet her children (from her previous marriage) because her husband did not even like it if she spoke to her friends,” alleged Resham.

“The Pakistani film industry is with you and we will stand with you till you get justice,” she assured her friend. Resham concluded with a call to the government to take action, insisting that Nargis deserved immediate and decisive justice.

Nargis’s FIR detailed the alleged violence, recounting how Inspector Bashir reportedly used the butt of his government-issued weapon to inflict bruises on her face and eyes. Nargis claimed that he put the gun’s barrel in her mouth to injure her jaw. She alleged that her husband’s motive was to seize her nine-kanal plot, gold, and other valuables.

The incident is reportedly the latest in a series of violent encounters; Nargis recounted that Bashir had assaulted her on three occasions earlier, but she chose to forgive him to save their marriage. This time, however, he went too far. She reported that Bashir crossed “all limits,” attacking her in the presence of her nephew and employees.

A case has been registered at the Defence C police station. Senior Superintendent of Police Investigation Muhammad Naveed told Dawn that the suspect obtained two-week pre-arrest bail and would appear in a day or two for investigation. He said that a medical examination of the victim was conducted and they were waiting for the report.

This is not the first time Nargis has faced such brutality. In 2002, she was assaulted by another dismissed police inspector — Abid ‘Boxer’ Hussain had subjected her to 39 injuries and humiliated her by shaving off her eyebrows and hair on her head.

Comments

Bingo Nov 04, 2024 01:02pm
Resham stood for her friend
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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad Nov 04, 2024 03:05pm
Are we still living in the dark ages?
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Islamabad Nov 04, 2024 03:07pm
The police will protect their Colleague. Nothing exepected. what Abid Boxer got??
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Taj Ahmad Nov 04, 2024 04:36pm
I’m 100% agreed with Resham’s comments as above. All women’s must be protected and respected by their husbands and together lives a good life forever.
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Laila Nov 04, 2024 06:34pm
Sadly like many others, Nargis too has been so deeply indoctrinated to accept abuse that she doesn't understand, her husband "crossed all limits" the first time he hit her. She chose to stay. Don't stay in abusive marriages. You can't fix abusers. He is a product of a misogynistic culture where males are not held accountable, but females are raised to accept abuse and always compromise. No safe haven, no help hotlines, no shelters for victims, no social security system/financial independence, so they don't have to depend on their parents or brothers who won't take them back this forcing them to stay in abusive marriages The first sign of greedy demands for property, money, jewelry, jahez, leave. Greed is not foundation of a good/honorable marriage. If Nargis does not divorce him now, then she made her bed and won't be worthy of any further sympathy. I read the horrors she went through in 2002 at the hands of a police man Abid. The article is available in Dawns archives. Its just so messed up. Poor woman. This time she must choose herself, her honor, self-respect and safety. Or 'next time' she may not live to tell.
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Laila Nov 05, 2024 03:56pm
Like many others, Nargis doesn't understand, her husband "crossed all limits" the first time he hit her. Don't stay in abusive marriages. You can't fix abusers. He is a product of a misogynistic culture where males are not held accountable, but females are raised to accept abuse and always compromise. No protection, hotlines, shelters, financial independence, so they don't have to depend on their unsupportive parents who force them to stay in abusive marriages The first sign of greedy demands for property, money, jewelry, jahez, LEAVE. You can't build marriages on greed. If Nargis does not divorce him, then she made her bed and can't expect more sympathy. I read the Dawn article on the horrors she went through in 2002 also at the hands of a police man. Messed up. This time she must choose herself, her honor, self-respect and safety. Or 'next time' she may not live to tell.
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Laila Nov 06, 2024 03:43am
@Islamabad, Exactly. You are right on the money. Either the victim is pressured to withdraw their case and forgive or the accused walks free. No repercussions. Justice denied in Pakistan every day thanks to corruption.
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Laila Nov 06, 2024 05:10am
Sadly, there are worse cases than this one. Ms Resham should look up the case of Ms Zahida Parveen. Her husband came home, locked the kids in a room and then hung his wife from the ceiling head down, beat her to a pulp, not satisfied he cut of her ears, nose and one eye. Why? Well he "loved" her but believed his heavily pregnant wife, mother of his two children, was cheating on him. There are daily cases about the violence against women. Its a problem. Its everybody's problem. It happens to women on every social level including elites and privileged.
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