SAHIWAL: The only daughter of a late parliamentarian from Depalpur has sought the help of Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar to get her share of inherited property, which she alleged her brother, a three-time member of the Punjab Assembly belonging to the PML-N, wanted to grab by declaring her dead, because she had married of her free will.

“My younger brother declared me dead in revenue record and got transferred my share of the inherited property in his name, because I had contracted love marriage without my family’s consent in 1997. I being an overseas Pakistani appeal to Mian Saqib Nisar, the chief justice of Pakistan, to grant me justice by getting my property back and provide me life protection in Pakistan. I being a legal heir want justice and fair treatment in distribution of my father’s property,” says Ms Humera Butt, who now lives with her husband and three children in New Jersey, USA.

Talking to Dawn by phone, Ms Humera said she is daughter of former parliamentarian, Malik Abbas Khokhar, who died last week at Depalpur and elder sister of Malik Ali Abbas Khokhar, PML-N MPA from Piplee Pahar, Depalpur tehsil. Late Abbas Khokhar had got elected MPA in party-less elections of 1985 but lost the contest in 1990 polls.

Malik Ali Abbas Khokhar, who has been thrice elected MPA from PP-187 (Okara-V) on PML-N ticket, commenting on his sister’s claim, said: “No comments on her both claims. Years ago, I had disowned her as my sister.”

On the other hand, Ms Butt accusing her brother of fraudulently getting her share of the inherited property transferred in his name, said whether Mr Ali owned her or not, she was a legal heir of her father.

Humera alleged her brother had threatened that she would be killed if she ever tried to visit Pakistan or meet the other family members -- her mother Kaneez Bibi and younger brother Touqeer, who she said was suffering from some mental health issues.

Sources close to the family said Humera tried to meet her father and mother twice during her visits to Pakistan in 2005 and 2015 but she was threatened with dire consequences. On both occasions, she returned without seeing her parents because of the threats.

Humera’s husband Mahmood Butt, confirmed that during her visits to Pakistan, her wife had gone to Depalpur to see his father but she was denied the meeting.

Syed Alamdar Shah, Coordinator of the Overseas Pakistani Human Rights Foundation, USA, talking to Dawn on phone said the body had received Ms Humera’s appeal to the CJP and would pursue it properly.

Late Malik Abbas Khokhar was a known parliamentarian of Okara district. He got two sons and one daughter. According to the sources, Abbas Khokhar had made a commitment to his brother Malik Ghiyyas Khokhar that he would marry his eldest daughter Humera to his nephew Moazzam Khokhar (Ghiyaas’ son).

They said Humera was against her father’s plan. In 1997, when Humera was a third-year student of a college in Lahore, his father fixed her engagement with Moazzam.

“I always opposed to the proposal and categorically told my family that I won’t marry that paternal cousin,” she said.

To avoid the engagement, Ms Humera left her house in Okara without informing her family and stayed with some acquaintances in Lahore. She later contracted love marriage with Memood Butt who was from Lahore but got settled in the USA. Humera also moved to the USA in 1999.

“Initially, I received life threats from my family,” Humera alleged. However, she said, later her father reconciled with her and many times desired to see her, Mahmood and their children. She claimed that during a visit to Pakistan in 2005 she secretly met her father, but her elder brother Ali got wind of the meeting and stopped her father from further contacting her.

Her husband Mahmood Butt said that in 2015 she had again tried to see her father at Depalpur but because of life threats from Ali, she could only contact Abbas Khokhar on phone.

Humera said that recently she came to know that her brother had declared her dead to garb her share in the inherited property. She alleged that using his political influence Mr Ali got her share of the property transferred in his name in connivance with the local revenue officials.

She said that as she wanted to get her legal right without any fear, she sought the CJP’s help. Humera and Mahmood have four children -- three daughters and a son.

She said that on being informed of her father’s death, she had arranged a condolence reference in her house in New Jersey, USA. She said that she wanted to visit her father’s grave in Depalpur and meet her mother and brother, but had apprehension regarding her safety.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2018

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