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It has been well documented that traditional matchmaking or rishta culture in Pakistan is deeply rooted in misogyny. Women are often harshly judged on superficial parameters such as weight, height and complexion, while their personal, academic and professional skills are relegated to trivialities. It’s often even worse when it comes to widowed and divorced women who wish to remarry.

While the reassimilation of widowed and divorced women in society is no longer as difficult as it used to be even a couple of decades ago, significant stigma still surrounds their remarriage — and this needs to change, according to Hamza Ali Abbasi.

In a video posted on Instagram on Friday, the actor highlighted how, during discussions with experts and consultants behind his rishta app called Marriage 4 Life, he discovered two major issues surrounding the traditional matchmaking culture in the country.

The first issue, Abbasi said, is that the families of women who are widowed or divorced face difficulties during the process of finding a suitable partner, as people still look down upon the idea of remarriage for these women, especially if they have children.

“Getting married again or remaining single is an individual choice,” the actor said. “But it’s my request that we stop viewing women who wish to remarry after being widowed or getting divorced in a negative way — because our religion gives them the right to do so, and it’s also ethically and morally permissible. Correcting this attitude can help ease a lot of lives,” he added.

The second problem, according to Abbasi, is that while it’s common for men and their parents to initiate the process of matchmaking, the families of women still hesitate to do so. He emphasised this needs to change, as there’s nothing essentially wrong with parents taking the lead while choosing a partner for their daughters.

“I know we have evolved in many aspects, but trust me, there’s still a major segment of our society that’s facing these [two] issues,” he said before reiterating his request to make positive changes to the collective mindset towards matchmaking and marriages in Pakistan.

Abbasi, known for starring in some of Pakistan’s most popular movies and television dramas, launched Marriage 4 Life with his wife Naimal Khawar in March. The idea behind the app is to help users find a match based on “Islamic values”.