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

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.