BY: Yusra Salim
KARACHI: If you were driving on Khayaban-e-Shamsheer on Sunday afternoon, you might have come across a woman who tried to push her twin daughters on the main road. She was protesting outside her ex-husband’s house, demanding he pay her alimony so she can bring up her children.
Aziz Gul, 46, seemed to have given up on life when she resorted to such tactics. When The Express Tribune tracked her down later in the day, she narrated her ordeal.
Gul and her ex-husband, Faisal Haq, signed their marriage documents on May 28, 2011, after a four-year relationship. Both of them were marrying for the second time. “I am his second wife and our marriage was kept secret from his first wife,” she claimed as she showed the marriage certificate.
The couple were living a normal life at an apartment, Shadman Residence in Clifton Block 2, which he had bought for her. But when his first wife found out, trouble began. Gul claimed that Haq divorced her with the help of some influential people. According to her, the divorce letter he submitted at the union council office was fake. It was rejected by the officer as Haq had failed to attach the marriage certificate.
Now, she demands proper divorce from him after fulfilling the necessary court requirements. Gul claimed that Haq sold their Shadman apartment for Rs18.6 million and has kept all the money with him. “My husband stole the legal papers of my house and the cars from my residence,” she claimed, adding that she has CCTV footage to support her claims.
Living with two twin daughters is not easy and one needs money to live, she cried. “Last night, I tried to kill my daughters by giving them sleeping pills with milk so that they won’t ask for food the next morning but my maid saved them,” she admitted.
For now, Gul has three demands from her husband. “One is to give me back my property and the documents for her two cars,” she said, adding that she is living at a house on Khayaban-e-Saadi that belongs to Haq. She also demanded money to raise her daughters and a proper divorce so she can start a new life.
“It is my wish to live in Murree,” she said. “I will sell all my property and will move to a small house in Murree with my daughters and will live far away from these greedy people of Karachi.” She refused to hand over her daughters to their father, claiming that his first wife was abusive towards them.
Husband retorts
For his part, Haq called his ex-wife unstable and a drug addict. There are two cases going on in the Sindh High Court but she doesn’t show up for the proceedings, he told The Express Tribune. “I will take care of my daughters and will take their custody,” he said.
According to him, the house that Gul is currently living in and the cars she uses belong to him. “My lawyers are working on this as I divorced this lady on September 26, 2014,” he claimed. Haq has also sought a restraining order against Gul, claiming that she threatens him at his office. The SHC stay order states that the couple were divorced last year.
Meanwhile, Gul’s son from her first marriage, Usman Mansoor, admitted that she has some psychological issues and has threatened people before. “She is not normal and thinks we are her enemies,” he added.
On Monday, Gul filed a complaint with the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) in which she stated that her husband has failed to provide her money and basic facilities. “We have heard her version and are expected to have a meeting with Faisal Haq by tonight or tomorrow morning to get the version of the other party,” CPLC chief Ahmed Chinoy told The Express Tribune.