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When Saba Qamar appeared on The Green Room podcast and was asked if she’d ever move to Karachi for work, her answer came swift and scandalous: “Astaghfirullah, never!”

Cue a collective gasp.

The actor, who said she prefers Islamabad and Lahore, added that she only travels to Karachi for work and then returns home. “I just go there, do my work, and come back,” she said, laughing. “I wouldn’t mind moving if someone buys me a house there, although I’ve already built one for myself.”

She even cheekily suggested: “Shift all the projects being shot in Karachi to Islamabad.” Harmless banter? Maybe. But the internet, of course, doesn’t do “maybe”.

The internet vs Saba Qamar

Within hours, Karachiites and drama lovers across the country pounced. Comments ranged from the mildly disappointed, “You earn from Karachi and then say this?”, to the outright furious, “You’re insulting the city that made you!”

Actor Iffat Omar quickly jumped to Qamar’s defence, writing under one such post, “What? Now, what forced liking are we doing? Brother, we’re going to work. If you don’t like it, then you don’t like it, buddy. The city is very dirty.”

Veteran actor Javeria Saud wasn’t having it. She responded with an Instagram story declaring, “The city is not dirty, people’s minds are dirty. These people are calling their own country dirty.”

Yasir Hussain, ever the joker, joined in by sharing Nadia Hussain’s photo of a Karachi tree covered in plastic bags. “Beautiful Karachi trees. Saba Qamar, you’re just jealous,” he wrote.

Qamar reposted it with a laugh, “You all are too funny. Peace guys, Karachi is beautiful, just keep it clean and it’ll have my whole heart.”

Earlier, she’d also taken a jab at the outrage on her Instagram story. “Breaking news: I have feelings and opinions. Shocking, right? But unlike the headlines, I’ve got actual work to finish.”

The great Karachi debate

This isn’t the first time someone’s been dragged for saying they don’t love Karachi, but the reaction does say something about us.

Why do we expect celebrities to love every city they work in? Actors are, after all, human beings, allowed to have likes, dislikes, and lifestyle preferences. Qamar didn’t say she hated the people of Karachi. She just said she doesn’t want to live there.

If we’re being honest, plenty of Karachi’s own residents complain about its roads, traffic, and garbage situation daily. But if someone from another city points it out, suddenly it becomes a national crisis.

Karachi is beautiful — but it’s also struggling

Let’s be real: Karachi is Pakistan’s largest city, with a population of over 20 million according to the latest census. That’s more people than some countries. The sheer number puts enormous pressure on its roads, drainage, transport, and sanitation systems, all of which, frankly, are in shambles.

While Karachiites have every right to love their city, they also know it’s not easy living here. The air is polluted, the infrastructure is crumbling, and the population is growing faster than anyone can manage.

Meanwhile, Lahore, which Qamar says she prefers, isn’t exactly heaven either. Just this week, it topped the global pollution index, with parts of the city recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of over 900. Islamabad, for all its calm and greenery, struggles with affordability and shrinking public space. Every city has its problems.

So perhaps it’s not that deep. Maybe Qamar just prefers a slower pace, or more greenery, or, as she put it, land over apartments. That’s a preference, not a betrayal.

Everyone teases everyone

Let’s also remember: Karachiites make fun of Lahoris all the time (and vice versa). Islamabad is often the punchline of “sleepy city” jokes. This friendly rivalry is part of being Pakistani. But when a celebrity joins in, even lightly, people suddenly act like they’ve committed a sin.

Maybe it’s time we lighten up a bit.

The real takeaway

At the heart of this mini-controversy is a simple truth: not everyone wants to live everywhere. Karachi can be overwhelming, Lahore can be smoggy, Islamabad can be boring, and all of those things can still be true while you love Pakistan.

We don’t need to turn every personal preference into a loyalty test.

If anything, Qamar’s comments should start a more productive conversation about why Karachi’s livability is declining, and what needs to change to make it a city people want to live in, not just work in.

Until then, maybe we can let people, even celebrities, like what they like.