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If you’ve been wondering where Komal Aziz Khan has been since her 2021 drama Mohlat, we finally have an answer — and it’s certainly not the one most of us were expecting.

In an official statement shared with her Instagram followers on Friday, the actor announced her permanent departure from the entertainment industry, revealing she had quietly stepped away five years ago.

While Khan was away, she focused on building her business and securing her financial independence.

“I also needed time to see whether I could build a successful business and find the strength to stay away from a world that had once been such a big part of my life,” she wrote.

But Khan’s time away wasn’t just focused on her professional development.

“These past five years have been a deeply personal journey of healing and self love. I had to step away from the limelight and go inwards to meet myself on a soul level. Sometimes you have to walk away from everything you have ever known to find the peace your soul has been searching for,” she wrote.

Khan said she waited until she was truly thriving before sharing the news, so she could finally give her fans “the closure they deserve”.

She also took a moment to address her personal life, noting that while she has not yet entered “the beautiful chapter of marriage,” she has faith that things will happen when it’s meant to be.

“I humbly ask you all to remember me in your prayers and pray for my good naseeb and barkat in my business,” she wrote.

In her closing Urdu caption, she thanked her fans for a level of love she felt she “was perhaps not even worthy of”.

Surprising as her announcement may be for many, the signs had been there for some time. In June 2021, during a Q&A session, Khan said she didn’t understand “what’s so inspiring about our Pakistani actors,” questioning the shallowness of it all: “Their looks, money, or readiness to make more money?” It was a rare, candid moment that hinted at her disillusionment with the industry.

While her fans will undoubtedly miss Khan, here’s hoping she thrives in the new role she’s written for herself.