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Actor Jamal Shah responded on Wednesday to allegations of domestic violence made by his ex-wife Faryal Gohar, denying the claims and accusing ARY Digital of running “programmes dripping in mud” against him.

In a series of posts on X that continued into Thursday, Shah claimed he had “never beaten [Gohar] or any other woman in my life” and the two had separated in a “civilised manner” in 1989 after five years together.

His response comes after Gohar appeared on Monday’s episode of Good Morning Pakistan and told host Nida Yasir she had survived domestic abuse in her marriage.

When Yasir asked why someone as educated and independent as Gohar would stay in an abusive marriage, she said there is usually pressure from a girl’s family to maintain a marriage and she felt that too as a young girl.

She said one piece of advice she received was to have a child. “How can you have a kid when you’re being beaten with a leather belt which results in a miscarriage?”

Gohar claimed she spent nine years in the abusive relationship and there were points where she was couldn’t take attend classes in university due to her injuries. She said she finally chose to leave the marriage — at the urging of her gynaecologist — after another miscarriage where she lost a set of twins.

Shah responded to comments on social media confirming Gohar had a miscarriage in 1985 after she was bitten by Muneeza Hashmi’s dog in Lahore.

He said they moved to London in 1986 for his studies and did not plan to have any children during their time there. Shah said he finished his studies in 1988 and the couple split the next year. The divorce, he said, was his decision.

The actor said he was now married and had three children who were being hurt by the rumours being spread about him, which is why he was responding to these allegations after initially refusing to talk about them.

Responding to a comment on how he and Gohar appeared together on ARY Digital’s Shan-e-Sahoor in February, Shah said he had not been told who the other guest would be when he agreed to appear on the programme and felt awkward declining a day or two later when he was informed it would be his former spouse.

Shah said the channel had asked him to work with Gohar on a show about their life together, to which he said he’d read the script and let her know — as a matter of courtesy. “Now my answer is a 100 per cent no because this sell-out channel is not worthy of showing my life’s story.”

He accused the channel of using Faryal’s appearance to gather “disturbing material” for this show. He also said he would not be appearing on ARY Digital anymore.

Cover photos: Jamal Shah/Instagram, National Heritage and Culture Division