While Saba Qamar is making waves on screen with her currently aired dramas Pamaal and Case No. 9, a recent podcast appearance has made her the centre of criticism due to one of her statements.

The 41-year-old actress stirred quite a reaction after her comments about Karachi on The Green Room podcast. When asked if she’d ever move to the city for work, she quickly replied, “Astaghfirullah, never!”

She explained that she prefers living in Islamabad and Lahore, and only goes to Karachi for professional commitments.

The Hindi Medium actor said she travels there for shoots and returns soon after, joking that she would only consider moving if someone bought her a house, though she already has one built there.

In a lighter moment, the Fraud star suggested moving all drama productions from Karachi to Islamabad, which many took as playful banter. But the internet wasn’t amused.

Within hours, social media users began reacting strongly. Some accused her of being ungrateful, saying she earns her fame and income from Karachi while disrespecting it. Others expressed disappointment but asked people not to overreact.

The debate quickly spread across platforms, with clips from the podcast circulating widely, with backlash coming not only from netizens but also from showbiz colleagues, though some spoke in her favour, stressing you can't force anyone to like your city, which has so many problems.

After all this heavy criticism, Saba finally opened up. Sharing a satirical Instagram story of actor Yasir Hussain, she wrote, “You all are too funny, peace guys, Karachi is beautiful, just keep it clean and it’ll have my whole heart.”

Replying to another story in her favour, she further explained, “I never meant to say anything against Karachi it’s a beautiful city! I just spoke about the environment feeling unsafe at times. Some people misunderstood my words, but I really appreciate your support and clarity.”