SHC orders status quo on Umer Sharif’s property

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday directed renowned comedian Umer Sharif’s third wife, Askari-IV administrator and others to maintain status quo with regard to the transfer of multi-million property situated in the Gulistan-e-Jauhar of the city.

The interim restraining order came on a lawsuit filed by Sharif seeking injunction against the transfer of his property situated in Askari-IV Gulistan-e-Jauhar by his third wife Syeda Zareen Ghazal.

The artist submitted in the lawsuit that he was the owner of a property in Askari-IV. He added that he was treated for dementia at a private hospital from October till December last year, and alleged that his defendant wife took advantage of his sickness and got the property transferred in her name through a gift deed and now she was trying to sell the property, the case of which was pending before the housing authorities.

A counsel for the plaintiff submitted that Sharif had already shifted to his sister’s house because his defendant wife had been causing him stress that he could not bear as he had recently recovered from dementia and doctors had advised him not to take any stress.

The counsel submitted that the property in question was purchased by the plaintiff and the defendant, after getting the gift deed through illegal means, was trying to sell it. He submitted that all the documents of the properties were in possession of the defendant, due to which the plaintiff could not produce them before the court but he had some documents of bank loan facilities which were provided to him and the defendant as the co-applicants for the purpose of purchase of property. He argued that there was imminent apprehension that if some restraining order was not passed, the defendant wife would create a third party interest in the property in question.

The high court was requested to declare the plaintiff as the real owner of the property and cancel the gift deed of the property in the name of his wife as the same was obtained through illegal means.

A single bench of the SHC headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar, after a preliminary hearing of the lawsuit, issued notices to Zareen, Askari-IV management and Shah Faisal Town sub-registrar and called their comments on August 10. The high court ordered that in the meantime, the defendant would maintain the status quo on the property.