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Abdullah Zahid
LAHORE: The Momina Iqbal Saqib Chadhar case has escalated into one of Pakistan’s most talked-about celebrity-politics controversies, after both sides gave separate, wide-ranging podcast interviews levelling serious accusations against each other over the past week. Actress Momina Iqbal appeared on Rehan Tariq’s podcast to detail her harassment allegations against PML-N MPA Saqib Chadhar, while Chadhar gave his first extensive interview to journalist Hina Niazi, countering with claims of his own about Iqbal, her lawyer, and her sister.
How the Dispute Began
Momina Iqbal, a Pakistani television actor known for dramas including Parlour Wali Larki, Khuda Aur Muhabbat 3, Ehd-e-Wafa and Sila-e-Muhabbat, first went public with her allegations on Instagram, claiming she was being harassed by a sitting MPA around the time her wedding to businessman Hamza Habib was announced in 2026.
Chadhar’s name subsequently surfaced after Iqbal escalated her case to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). The agency has reportedly collected digital evidence from both sides and issued notices, and has ordered a special investigation team to complete a fresh inquiry within a month, while clarifying it is not currently seeking either party’s arrest.
Momina Iqbal’s Claims on Rehan Tariq’s Podcast
Speaking to Rehan Tariq, Iqbal said she had filed cases citing harassment, blackmail, cyberbullying and death threats, but claimed the court proceedings instead focused on questions about the nature of her relationship with Chadhar. She alleged that Chadhar’s treatment of women reflects what she described as a regressive mindset within his family, and said she had endured trauma for four years.
Iqbal also claimed she had helped shape Chadhar’s public image and grooming ahead of his election campaign, and alleged that after a kidney-trafficking scandal involving Chadhar became public, her father called off their relationship, triggering a blame game between the two sides. She further alleged that Chadhar threatened her afterward.
In a later podcast appearance, Iqbal also pushed back on claims that a Gucci coat she wore to court had been a gift from Chadhar, mocking his lawyer’s characterization of their relationship as “close.”
Saqib Chadhar’s Counter-Claims to Hina Niazi
In his interview with Hina Niazi, Chadhar disputed Iqbal’s timeline, claiming the two met around 2019-2020, got engaged in 2020, and that the relationship continued until December 2025 rather than ending in 2022 as Iqbal has suggested. He denied contacting or threatening her after that point and publicly challenged Iqbal to produce a single message, call, or social media communication showing harassment, saying he would apologise to her and the nation if such evidence surfaced. Chadhar also claimed Iqbal was aware he was already married when the relationship began and allegedly wanted to become his second wife, while asserting he only later learned that Iqbal had herself been married in 2018 before a subsequent divorce.
On the financial front, Chadhar alleged that Iqbal’s lawyer, Adnan Ahsan, initially demanded Rs 200 million (20 crore) for a settlement, which was later reduced to Rs 90 million and then Rs 110 million (11 crore), claiming he possesses documentary evidence of the negotiations, including a settlement deed. Iqbal, for her part, has disputed the characterization of these settlement talks in her own podcast remarks, describing attempts to reach a settlement without accepting Chadhar’s framing of who initiated them.
Chadhar additionally made claims involving Iqbal’s sister, Rimsha Iqbal, saying he had funded her higher education and visa costs in Australia and arranged her employment at a security firm there. He alleged Rimsha later filed a harassment complaint in Australia against his business partner, initially seeking $1 million before settling for $165,000, which he claimed she brought back to Pakistan. He suggested the sisters were repeating a similar pattern against him. These specific claims regarding Rimsha have not been independently verified, and her detailed response has not been included in reporting on the interview.
Wider Fallout and Commentary
The controversy has drawn commentary well beyond the two principals. Writer and director Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar weighed in on Rehan Tariq’s podcast, criticising both parties and arguing that whether the relationship was personal or transactional, it should have been settled privately rather than played out online.
His remarks, which touched on live-in relationships and extramarital affairs in Pakistani society, drew mixed reactions online. Separately, Rehan Tariq, whose podcast has hosted several instalments of the saga, was reported to have been arrested in connection with a separate controversial podcast episode, according to Digital Rights Monitor, though that matter is described as distinct from the Iqbal-Chadhar case itself.
Social Media Reaction
The dispute has divided social media users, with many saying the back-and-forth podcast appearances have turned a legal matter into public spectacle. Some commentators have sided with Iqbal, expressing support for her harassment claims, while others have circulated clips of Chadhar’s alleged settlement evidence and questioned the actress’s account. Screenshots and clips from both interviews have been widely shared and dissected by entertainment and news pages alike.
