Zindagi to remove 'Barzakh' from YouTube Pakistan in light of 'current public sentiment'

New Delhi: Following backlash over the depiction of queer love in "Barzakh", channel Zindagi on Tuesday announced that they are voluntarily withdrawing the series from YouTube Pakistan from August 9.

The show, which created a lot of buzz by bringing together two of Pakistan's most popular stars Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed, also features prominent actors from the industry including M Fawad Khan, Salman Shahid, and Eman Suleman.

"We, at Zindagi and Team Barzakh, extend our heartfelt gratitude to our global audience for their unwavering support for Barzakh - a show that was created to bring people together everywhere.

"But in light of the current public sentiment in Pakistan, we have made the decision to voluntarily withdraw Barzakh from YouTube Pakistan, effective August 9, 2024. This decision underscores our dedication to honouring our audiences without causing alienation. We sincerely appreciate your understanding and continued support," the channel said in a statement shared on social media.

Directed by Asim Abbasi, "Barzakh" had its worldwide premiere on Zindagi's YouTube and ZEE5 on July 19.

Abbasi, whose previous Zindagi show "Churails" also faced hurdles in Pakistan despite its global success, shared the channel's statement, adding the finale of the six-episode series will air tonight as scheduled.

"Yes, the finale still airs tonight," the director wrote alongside the hashtag 'Barzakh'.

The London-based Pakistani filmmaker also shared the statement on his Instagram Stories with famous queer American author James Baldwin's quote, "Ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have".

One of the storylines of the surrealistic drama revolved around M Fawad Khan's character Saifullah's romance with Lorenzo, an Italian cook played Franco Giusti, and that didn't go down well in Pakistan with many criticising the makers for allegedly promoting LGBTQIA+ "agenda".

Mishi Khan, a Pakistani actor, termed the show "trash".

"#barzakh What a shame that we are watching trash in the name of drama. This hidden LGBTQ agenda in the name of drama is being normalised with plays like Barzakh. Shame on the cast who knew the filth in the script but opted to do it," she wrote on X.

#barzakh What a shame that we are watching trash in the name of drama.
This hidden LGBTQ agenda in the name of drama is being normalised with plays like Barzakh.
Shame on the cast who knew the filth in the script but opted to do it. pic.twitter.com/BDiqON5ks0

— Mishi khan (@mishilicious) July 30, 2024

Veteran Pakistani actor Rubina Ashraf, however, told a Pakistani channel that television "reflects what is happening in society; it doesn't create it".

“People are criticising 'Barzakh' and have raised many objections to it, but we have also done 'Udaari' where we depicted incest, abortions, and illicit relationships because these are issues prevalent in society,” she said.

"A drama cannot promote homosexuality," she added.

But most of the recent voices on social media were critical of the show's stance towards queer love.

"This vulgar Pakistani drama '#BARZAKH' is funded by Illuminati, Freemasons, LGBTQ and satanists. 100% sure," said a user on the microblogging site.

Some called for the show's boycott.

"We won't let you normalise it!! #boycottbarzakh #Barzakh #fawadkhan."