Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed’s latest collaboration, ‘Barzakh’, has encountered an unexpected hurdle in its home country. Despite the series garnering significant attention and acclaim since its release last month, it will be removed from YouTube in Pakistan starting Friday 9th August.
This decision comes in response to mounting backlash over the show’s portrayal of queer love and pre-marital sex, themes that have sparked controversy among certain segments of the Pakistani audience.
In a statement issued yesterday, the teams behind Zindagi and Barzakh expressed their gratitude to the global audience for their support. Acknowledging the challenges posed by the current situation in Pakistan, they decided to withdraw the show to avoid further alienation of their local audience.
“We, at Zindagi and Team Barzakh, extend our heartfelt gratitude to our global audience for their unwavering support for our 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,” the statement read.