Prominent Pakistani actress and broadcaster Javeria Saud has issued a formal apology to actress Yumna Zaidi following a controversy that arose during a special Eid presentation.
The issue began when a segment to identify childhood photos of celebrities was featured on Javeria’s show. During the segment, Javeria allegedly made light of Zaidi’s age and displayed an incorrect photo under her name. Fans quickly labelled the remarks as “age shaming” and criticized the lack of factual accuracy.
In a poised response on Instagram, Yumna Zaidi clarified that the image shown was not her and noted that displaying it amounted to disseminating false information.
While Yumna Zaidi received widespread praise for her dignified stance, Javeria Saud faced significant backlash on social media. In response to the public pressure, Javeria has now expressed regret. She apologised to Yumna and anyone offended by the remarks, attributing the oversight to a team error.
She clarified that she never intended to disrespect Yumna or mock her age, explaining that the image was sourced from social media without proper verification. Javeria added that her comments were misinterpreted and reaffirmed her deep respect for Zaidi’s work.
Earlier this week, Maya Ali and Hania Aamir voiced their support for fellow actress Yumna Zaidi following Javeria Saud’s age-shaming remarks. The dispute arose when Saud mistakenly shared a childhood photo on her show, claiming it was Zaidi and joking that some actors had been working “since the stone ages” before achieving recognition. Zaidi quickly clarified on social media that the image was not of her and urged proper verification of information before broadcasting it.
In response, Javeria Saud issued a public apology, explaining that the photo had been sourced from social media without verification and that her earlier comment about age was misunderstood. She emphasised that it was never meant to target anyone personally and expressed deep respect for Zaidi.
Now, Maya Ali has taken to her Instagram to address the broader issue of industry members publicly pulling each other down.