Faryal Makhdoom's parents break silence over family drama

The family feud that dragged on too long refuses to die: first Amir tried to put an end to it, now Faryal's parents are trying to salvage the situation.

Boxer Amir Khan's wife Faryal Makhdoom caused a stir a few weeks ago when she accused her in-laws of emotional abuse and harassment in a Snapchat post. Things spiraled out of control as Amir's parents lashed out against Faryal on national television, and culminated in Faryal posting an embarrassing photograph of her brother-in-law online.

After that, Amir stepped up and publicly called for an end to the drama. We thought the issue would be resolved or at least die down, but it didn't.

Faryal Makhdoom's parents have now broken their silence over this long spat between their daughter and her in-laws.

In an interview with Dunya News, the parents expressed their distress over the situation.

Faryal's mother expressed her worry about how the media has twisted the feud by stating that Faryal and Amir are facing marital woes. She asked, "Why is the media saying that there is a rift between Amir and Faryal?"

"There were some issues between her and the in-laws, of course they'll be upset just a bit," she clarified. "Amir was very upset, and he was also saying that this is all so immature. So he was upset about it but there was nothing bad between the husband and wife."

When she was asked about Amir's father's comment that Faryal and Amir are headed for divorce, the mother said, "It was a very unpleasant thing to hear and it was very painful for me to find out that Amir's dad said this. Faryal would tell me this as well that 'They keep telling me there will be a divorce.' I couldn't sleep that night. I kept wondering how he (Amir's father) could say that. And as a father, a father of daughters, to say that."

She had a plea for all parents of the world and said: "I would request all fathers of the world to never say this to anyone's daughter, to say she can get a divorce. Me and my husband, we couldn't sleep all night. We were just wondering why did he say that. I had to ask Amir, even he said 'I don't know Aunty, I don't know why he said that.' I request all parents to think of girls as our daughters."

She added, "My daughter, went thousands of miles away, I got her married in London and at a very young age because I wanted her to have her home, and they should accept her as well. Yes, I admit our lifestyle may have been different, very different, but she did try adjusting. For three and a half years she adjusted. Please accept the girl as your own daughter. And so please don't say such a word to any girl, to anyone's daughter. We are parents too. We have hearts, hearts that are broken when we hear such things and are living in fear that at any moment our daughter will get divorced. May they always live happily."

Faryal's father remained quiet for the most part. He reasoned, "I will only say that the husband and wife are happy. I can't really say anything, Saas-bahu ki fight hai (this is a spat between the in-laws) so it's not the best for me to speak out on this."

With Amir's next fight being announced, many wonder if his personal fight will affect his professional life. But Faryal's parents aren't concerned with that.

Faryal's mother explained, "I think that Amir's fight and his personal life won't affect each other. I know things between Amir and his parents will get better. This is a strong bond that can't be broken, they will never be broken. And Amir, at this moment, is not mine, nor theirs. Amir is this world's asset. He is a very good man with a good heart. What with the work he is doing, for Muslims with his fund raising, his fights, he really does not deserve any problems in his life."

She ended the interview with a very strong point: "I also have a request for the media that i hope this is my last statement and i mean that for everyone; from us to Amir's family, we don't want any more drama in the media. The media needs to take the positive out of this. Amir is valuable to Pakistan and he should not be bothered by these news. Just end it all and hope for their happiness."