Actor Hamza Ali Abbasi has caused controversy after his show on a podcast by Mansoor Ali Khan, where he criticized Imran Khan’s political approach and tactics of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the past, severely criticizing the long marches and May 9 as “totally wrong.”
Hamza’s contention was that politics must not be viewed as a fight of plain right against plain wrong. According to him, Imran Khan could have steered clear of conflict and protest politics, emphasizing the importance of peaceful political activism.
His statement sparked anger on social media, particularly from PTI activists, and set off heated exchange across platforms such as X (formerly Twitter).
Abbasi’s comments come years after he resigned as PTI’s culture secretary in April 2015. At the time, he stepped down, announcing it via a Facebook post, citing a conflict between his values and the nature of his upcoming film project.
Hamza Ali Abbasi, who vocally supported PTI for years, faced backlash from many party loyalists after his recent remarks.
He admitted, “I felt extremely delighted when Imran Khan became Prime Minister because I had supported the movement since 2013,” adding, “I ended my activism the day Imran Khan took office.”
When Mansoor Ali Khan asked whether things unfolded as expected after Khan became Prime Minister, Hamza replied, “Some things turned out well, and others did not.”
But now people are very sensitive about this issue. They are not willing to accept criticism.”
Talking about the positives, Hamza admitted, “Economic activity was picking up and foreign relations were improving.”
May 9 Tragedy
Referring to the “2022 confrontation”, events of May 9, he said, “Everything came to light, the confrontation began, and it’s still ongoing.”
He went on to say, “My modest request is that there should be no confrontation – neither from Imran Khan’s side, nor from the Army’s side, nor from PML-N’s side. Because all of them are us – all of them are Pakistan.
When Mansoor asked a theoretical question regarding May 9, whether or not seizing military regions might have altered the fate, Hamza said, “It was wrong. May 9 was wrong. Because PTI didn’t have a session, I’m asking everyone. Although my request might do nothing today, I’m still asking everyone.”
When pressed to say what Khan should do next, Hamza replied, “Khan Sahib may know better than me. But here is one thing I can say: don’t go the way of confrontation, agitation, or violence. Back off. Negotiate through dialogue, even if four of your demands are accepted and six of theirs are not. That’s still a victory.”
