Actor Faysal Quraishi addressed claims about his show Khaie’s portrayal of the Pashtun community in a recent interview with Geo Digital, trying to explain to audiences why the story is not stereotyping Pashtun people.

During the interview, he stated, “I received a lot of messages [from Pashtun people] who told me they moved because of rivalries and elders’ enmities”. He emphasised again that he got “many” messages from people who could “connect” with the story Khaie was telling.

“Some friends were upset because the Pashtun community is [always] portrayed in this light,” he continued. The actor swiftly clarified, however, that those involved in the show “did not specifically say” they were depicting Pashtun people in it.

“There is merely an intonation. No one is saying that they are Pashtun,” he claimed. Quraishi added that director Syed Wajahat Hussain had stated they were creating their “own world” with the show and that Khaie was a work of “fiction”. The Dil-e-Momin actor urged people to “enjoy it” instead of criticising this aspect.