Why did Pakistani TV actress Alizeh Shah quit the industry and what trauma did she endure?

Dubai: Actor Alizeh Shah took to Instagram to declare that she’s walking away from the entertainment industry — for good.

In a searing Instagram story, she clarified that her decision to speak out against harassment, unpaid dues, and bullying in showbiz had nothing to do with seeking attention or more projects.

“To those who believe I exposed people because I wanted work… that thought disgusts me,” she wrote.

Shah’s post paints a harrowing picture of the toll the industry has taken on her. She revealed that she now lives with PTSD from her experiences, describing how the toxic environment broke her spirit to the point of self-loathing.

“Speaking out wasn’t about getting noticed. It was the only way I could free myself from the darkness,” she said.

Shah also made it clear that she isn’t interested in job offers or empty gestures of support.

“I don’t want your projects, your offers, or your fake sympathy. Every day I pray I was never part of this degrading world — one that forced me to suffer for 12 hours straight on sets where I was treated like nothing. I am never going back, not after what it did to me.”

The trauma, she added, continues to consume her.

“There are nights I cry until I can’t breathe. Some days I vomit because the memories make me sick. This pain is real. It lives in my body and my heart. All I ask is to be left alone.”

A pattern of silence and abuse

This isn’t the first time Shah has spoken about the industry’s darker underbelly. Back in July, she revealed details of harassment, withheld payments, and toxic work environments.

She also revisited her infamous 2021 ramp fall — claiming it was deliberately orchestrated and then cruelly mocked by colleagues.

That revelation prompted an apology from senior actor Juggan Kazim, who admitted it was never too late to do the right thing.

Her latest post also resonates with a growing number of actors who’ve recently raised concerns over delayed payments in television.

But Shah’s words go further — spotlighting a systemic problem: the exploitation of junior actors, bullying framed as “discipline,” and the threat of blacklisting that silences dissent.