Dubai: Actor Mohsin Abbas Haider was quick to respond to wife, Fatema Sohail’s allegations of domestic violence and cheating through a press conference held yesterday.
Members of the Pakistani twitterverse were furious as Sohail came out with allegations of physical abuse and cheating on July 20 through a social media post.
Soon after, Haider addressed the media in a widely televised event in Pakistan.
He began the conference with taking an oath and placing his hand on the Quran which he claimed he will continue to do until the address is over to “to avoid any misunderstandings since the allegations are very big in nature”.
During his speech, he admitted that their relationship was rocky but claimed that he never hit his wife. He also repeatedly challenged Sohail to prove that he abused her.
The pictures Sohail shared in her Facebook post, of her bruised face and hand, were because of a fall from a staircase, Haider claimed.
The actor and singer also said that he proposed the idea of marrying another woman to Sohail, after realising that their relationship was not working. However, she did not take the idea well, according to him, and threatened to kill herself and demanded that he transfer his property into her name.
Speaking about Sohail’s claims of him abandoning their child, he said that he never did so and regularly transferred money to her as child support.
He also claimed to be battling mental issues in the press conference.
After his media address, Haider used his Instagram account to share opinions of fans who were in his favour.
Sohail reacts to Haider’s press conference, says ‘he’s lying’
Sohail reacted to her husband’s speech on television, during a morning show, Geo Pakistan, by news channel Geo News.
Getting questioned by journalists on the show, she chose to stick by her claims and said that “Mohsin is lying”. She also said that she was hesitant to come out with the claims at first because she “wanted to save her family” but eventually decided to do so.
Responding to Haider’s claims, she stated when the pictures she shared in her initial Facebook post were taken. She re-emphasised that they were taken when she was three months pregnant after being physically abused by Haider.
“You can clearly see that the bruises were from being beaten, not falling from the stairs,” she said.
Talking about Haider’s emotional issues, she said: “He is trying to confuse the public. Seeking treatment for depression and anger issues is another thing and beating a woman black and blue is another. He is just trying to scam people.”
Celebrities support Sohail
Upon Sohail’s Facebook post that started the controversy, prominent figures from the Pakistani entertainment industry chose to support her and condemned domestic violence against women.
Singer Dua Malik, wife of one of Haider’s friends, claimed to be a witness to the alleged abuse against Sohail.
In a post she shared on her Instagram, she wrote: “I am sure to say, I’m the only eye witness in this industry. I have kept this fire in my heart for three years. I have seen him beating ... his wife on the road and where not....”
Actress Mahira Khan, @TheMahiraKhan, also spoke out about the news on Twitter: “Sick to my stomach. What gives anybody the right to raise their hand on anyone? Nothing. No excuse. For eons now we have normalised abuse (of all kinds) and for the sake of our children this needs to stop.”
Pakistani politician and parliamentary leader of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Sherry Rehman, @sherryrehman tweeted to extend help: “Fatema like so many others, needs help. I am available in Islamabad at any point to meet and take this up. Many legislators feel very strongly about abuse and domestic violence. We worked for years on the lawmaking against it. Please feel free to DM [direct message] me to coordinate any response.”
The allegations
The controversy started on July 20 when Sohail shared a lengthy post on her Facebook, alleging that Haider physically abused her while she was pregnant upon her confronting him about cheating.
Along with the written post, she attached images. These included a picture of Sohail and Haider together, an image of Sohail’s bruised face and a police report that she claimed that she had filed.
She also claimed that Haider was not present when she delivered their child in May, 2019 and alleged that he spent that time with model Nazish Jehangir.
Jehangir also took to social media to present her side of the story. Through posts on her Instagram account, she claimed that she was friends with Sohail and that allegations of her having a relationship with Haider were false.
“Why would she [Sohail] talk to me or call me... I can raise so many questions in my defense but that’s not who I am,” she wrote.
