KARACHI: TV anchor and beauty salon owner Rabia Anum on Tuesday walked out of Pakistan’s arguably most popular morning show, refusing to share the screen with singer and actor Mohsin Abbas Haider, whose wife at the time accused him of domestic violence in 2019. 

Haider’s now former wife, Fatema Sohail, had posted a lengthy Facebook note, accusing him of beating her while she was pregnant in November 2018. Sohail accused Haider of infidelity, alleging that when she confronted him, the actor beat her while she was pregnant. 

Haider vehemently denied the charges in a press conference, saying Sohail had a “habit of lying.” 

Abbas was found guilty of threatening his former wife by a sessions court in Lahore and subsequently fired from the super hit satirical show ‘Mazaaq Raat’.

On Tuesday, Anum was invited on an ARY News morning show, ‘Good Morning Pakistan,’ with Haider and Fiza Ali as co-guests. However, Anum quickly informed Nida Yasir, the show’s host, that she hadn’t been aware Haider was also invited to the show. She apologized to Yasir and said she would not be a part of the show in solidarity with victims of domestic violence. 

“They [artists accused of domestic violence] should be banned on TV, they should never be allowed to sit on TV as heroes,” Anum told Arab News in a phone interview. “While I was sitting over there, all I could think about was Noor Mukadam, Sarah [Inam] and all of these women who have been through this,” she added, naming two headline-grabbing cases of women murdered by their romantic partners. 

Anum said she thought at first to ignore Haider’s presence on the show and not walk out in protest. However, the anchor realized if she did that, she wouldn’t be able to stand up for anyone in the future. 
“I am also in talks with Aliza (actor Feroze Khan’s wife),” she said. “I have been listening to her stories of what she went through,” she added. 

Aliza Sultan has recently made headlines for presenting before a court what she deems is evidence of abuse by Khan. Khan denied the accusations, labelling them “baseless, malicious and untruthful allegations.”

“I feel bad that I have caused this controversy but I think we all need to stand up against these people. They are not our heroes,” she said, adding that had respect for the show’s host, Nida Yasir and her team. 

Speaking to Arab News, Yasir said she “did not want to take anyone’s side” as every guest was “respectable” for her as a host. 

“I can’t disrespect guests I invite on my show, this isn’t how I was raised,” Yasir said. “My show is my home and I can’t disrespect anyone.”