Actor Hamza Ali Abbasi has stirred controversy following his appearance on a podcast hosted by Mansoor Ali Khan, where he openly criticised Imran Khan’s political strategy and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) past tactics, particularly condemning the long marches and May 9 as “totally wrong.”
Hamza argued that politics should not be treated as a battle of absolute right versus wrong. He believes Imran Khan should have avoided confrontation and protest-driven tactics, stressing the need for peaceful political engagement. His remarks triggered backlash on social media, especially from PTI supporters, and sparked heated debate across platforms like 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. While he remained a vocal supporter of PTI for years, his latest remarks were not appreciated by many supporting the party.
One X user wrote, “Hamza Ali Abbasi say political difference ki ummed thi leikin aesi tone-deafness ki umeed nai thi. Reality is this: people like him say ‘I have changed,’ but they always want to impose the same change on others and never want to understand where the other is coming from.”
Another user posted, “Hamza Ali Abbasi to Mansoor Ali Khan: ‘Khan’s long marches should’ve never happened. 9th May was very wrong. In politics, there is no Haq vs Batil.’ A major shift from one of Khan’s earlier vocal supporters.”
Hamza admitted, “I was very happy when Imran Khan became Prime Minister because I was part of that movement since 2013,” adding that “My activism ended the day Imran Khan became PM.”
When Mansoor Ali Khan asked whether things turned out as expected once Khan became Prime Minister, Hamza replied, “There were some good things and some bad. But now, people are extremely sensitive about this topic. They are not ready to hear criticism.”
Speaking about the positives, Hamza acknowledged, “Economic activity had improved and foreign relationships were getting better.”
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 to say, “My humble request is that there should be no confrontation – not from Imran Khan’s side, not from the Army’s side, not from PML-N’s side. Because all of them are us – all of them are Pakistan.”
When Mansoor asked a hypothetical question about May 9, whether taking over military areas could have changed the game, Hamza responded, “It was wrong. May 9 was wrong. Since PTI didn’t hold a session, I’m requesting everyone. Though my request may not make any difference now, I’m still requesting everyone.”
He continued, “Look, what is the army? The army is us, our fathers, grandfathers, uncles have served in it. Where they’ve done 10,000 good things, there might be 5 wrong ones. But we must correct those wrongs together, through dialogue, not by fighting and dying.”
“Let me give you a hypothetical scenario. If the monopoly of power slips from the army’s hands in an unorganised way… what will Pakistan’s future be? We don’t know. Here, every other person thinks he’s a ‘Turam Khan’ with his own militia,” he added.
“We have to negotiate with this very army, it’s ours. My father has served in it; yours probably has too. Someone close to you must have served. Solve issues through dialogue. Don’t confront. This is my request to all army personnel listening.”
Hamza also made a personal appeal to Imran Khan: “He has a political history. Whether right or wrong, people support him immensely. But God forbid, if something happens to him health-wise in jail, what kind of backlash will that create? People already feel their political sentiments are being crushed. He should understand this. Everyone should understand – pursue your interests, but don’t let the country suffer. Head-on collision is good for no one.”
In another segment of the podcast, Mansoor asked if the real issue lies in Pakistan’s democratic system, particularly the establishment’s involvement in Imran Khan’s rise from the 2014 dharna to the Prime Minister’s (PM) House by 2018. Hamza admitted, “There are many problems. The establishment’s interference in politics is no secret. But again, my point remains that as long as we continue with confrontation, the damage will continue.”
When asked what Khan should do next, Hamza said, “Khan Sahib probably knows better than me. But one thing I’ll say: don’t go toward confrontation, agitation, or violence. Step back. Solve issues through dialogue, even if you get only four of your demands accepted and six of theirs. That’s still a win.”
