Actor and former minister Jamal Shah has strongly denied allegations of mistreatment made by his former wife, actress Faryal Gohar, saying he never abused her and never even considered doing so.
Speaking during a private news channel WE News podcast, Shah said he would never contact his former wife again. He added that if they happened to meet somewhere, he would simply turn away and walk in the opposite direction.
Shah said Gohar had always respected his mother and that he was deeply hurt by the comments made during her recent interview. He stressed that even after separation, former spouses should respect each other, adding that he had never publicly spoken about Gohar during the 36 to 37 years since their separation.
In response to journalist Ammad Masood’s question, Jamal Shah said the television channel where Gohar gave the interview had previously approached him with an offer to produce a biopic about his and Gohar’s lives. “I declined the offer to act in the project and the recent interview could potentially provide material for scenes in the proposed serial”, he joked.
Shah also said he could file a defamation case against Gohar and potentially receive financial compensation, but money would not restore his lost reputation.
Recalling their past, Shah said he and Gohar had worked together on programmes on the same channel and that he had also given interviews to the channel when he was serving as a minister. He said they separated in 1989 in a civilised manner and that he had refrained from discussing her publicly ever since.
Addressing allegations that he had beaten her with a belt and kicked her, as well as claims that she suffered a miscarriage, Shah said Gohar became pregnant in 1985. He claimed that while they had gone to give an interview to Muneeza Hashmi, Gohar was bitten by a German Shepherd, which he said resulted in the loss of the pregnancy. He added that he later moved to London for two years.
Shah said he and Gohar had shared a strong relationship but eventually decided to separate after realising that their personalities were different.
Responding to the allegations, Shah questioned whether his denial alone would be considered authoritative, but maintained that he had never mistreated his former wife during their marriage.