KARACHI, April 9 The Supreme Court on Friday ordered renowned filmstar Nadeem's son Muhammad Farhan to pay Rs2.5 million as a 'goodwill gesture' to his former wife, Zara, who is an Indian national.

Zara, who was divorced by Mr Farhan last year, had moved an application to the chief justice of Pakistan seeking the recovery of her dowry articles and other valuables worth Rs17 million from her former in-laws. Later, the apex court converted her application into a human rights complaint.

The Indian woman, whose original name is Priya Saklani, embraced Islam before she married Farhan in Dubai a few years ago.

In her petition, she said she approached the prime minister for resolving the issue of her claims and later an official of the PM Secretariat negotiated with her former husband and former father-in-law. She said the official informed her that her former in-laws were willing to pay Rs2.5 million to her and get her BMW car repatriated from Pakistan to a place of her choice.

She alleged that she was harassed by the negotiating authorities and forced to enter into an agreement with her former in-laws. She alleged that her ex-spouse's friends also threatened her and under such circumstances she had no option but to accept the offer of Rs2.5 million as promised by the PM Secretariat official.

The Indian woman, whose visa expires this month, submitted that her in-laws again backed off from the agreement and were now forcing her to leave the country. She said she had been facing hardship for the past eight months to the extent that she was borrowing money from friends.

Filmstar Nadeem and his son Farhan later filed their statements before the apex court regarding the settlement for the return of dowry articles.

On Friday, Justice Ghulam Rabbani of the Supreme Court directed Mr Farhan to pay Rs2.5 million to his ex-wife as a 'goodwill gesture' by a pay order on a non-refundable basis. The judge ordered that the payment should be made in front of the deputy registrar of the court at Karachi against a receipt executed by the applicant, Zara.

Nadeem and his son were ordered to bear the rent and utility bills for the residence of Zara in Defence for two months ending on June 6.

“Respondent Muhammad Farhan Nadeem will have no claim on the furniture and other household articles presently lying/available at the place (house) where the applicant is now staying,” the judge ruled.

As for the BMW brought from Dubai in May 2005, the court ordered that the vehicle should be released to the Indian woman subject to rules and regulation, or disposed of through auction and the money after deduction of auction expenses, if any, be paid to her.

Disposing of Ms Zara's human rights complaint, the court also directed her former husband to cooperate with the authorities concerned by producing relevant documents of the vehicle.

Earlier, Additional Collector of Custom Samiullah undertook that he would take all lawful steps for granting maximum concessions in respect of all types of charges and levies for the release of the vehicle.