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LAHORE (Web Desk) – Pakistani actor and artist Jamal Shah has broken his silence over serious domestic violence allegations made by his former wife Faryal Gohar, categorically denying ever physically assaulting her and presenting his own account of their marriage and separation.
The controversy erupted after Gohar appeared on Good Morning Pakistan and spoke about what she described as years of abuse during her marriage. While discussing why educated and independent women may remain in abusive relationships, she referred to family and social pressures to preserve a marriage.
Gohar made a particularly disturbing allegation during the programme, claiming she had been beaten with a leather belt and suffered a miscarriage. She said injuries at times prevented her from attending university classes.
She further claimed she eventually decided to leave the relationship following another miscarriage in which she lost twins, saying her gynaecologist had encouraged her to leave the marriage.
Gohar did not name Shah in the quoted remarks, but her account prompted widespread discussion online about her former marriage.
Jamal Shah rejects allegations
Responding through a series of posts on X, Shah categorically rejected the allegations.
“I have never beaten her or any other woman in my life,” he said.
Shah claimed that he and Gohar had been together for five years and separated in 1989 in what he described as a “civilised manner”.
He also disputed aspects of the timeline presented in the television interview.
According to Shah, Gohar suffered a miscarriage in 1985 after being bitten by a dog belonging to Muneeza Hashmi in Lahore.
He said the couple moved to London in 1986 for his studies and had decided not to have children during their stay there. Shah said he completed his studies in 1988 and they separated the following year.
He further claimed that the decision to divorce was his.
The competing accounts have not been independently verified.
‘My children are being hurt’
Shah said he had initially decided against publicly discussing the allegations but changed his mind because of the effect the controversy was having on his current family.
The actor said he is now married and has three children, claiming that the allegations and discussion surrounding them were causing his family distress.
His response turned increasingly critical of ARY Digital, the television network that aired Gohar’s interview.
Shah accused the channel of airing programmes “dripping in mud” against him and announced that he would no longer appear on the network.
Shah explains TV appearance with former wife
Questions were also raised on social media about Shah and Gohar appearing together on ARY Digital’s Shan-e-Sahoor earlier this year despite their history.
Shah said he had agreed to appear on the programme without being informed that his former wife would also be a guest.
According to him, he learned about Gohar’s participation only a day or two before the programme and felt it would be awkward to withdraw at that stage.
Shah also claimed that the television channel had subsequently approached him about participating with Gohar in a programme based on their life story.
He said he had initially responded that he would consider the script and consult Gohar as a matter of courtesy.
Following the latest controversy, however, Shah said his answer was now an unequivocal “100 per cent no”.
He accused the broadcaster of using Gohar’s latest television appearance to collect what he described as “disturbing material” for the proposed programme.
Two sharply conflicting accounts
The controversy has now placed two sharply different accounts of a decades-old marriage in the public domain.
Gohar has described experiencing serious domestic violence and pregnancy losses during the relationship, while Shah has categorically denied physically assaulting her and challenged parts of the timeline surrounding her claims.
No independent evidence establishing either account was presented in the material cited, making it important to treat the allegations and denials as claims by the respective parties rather than established facts.
