Hamza Ali Abbasi calls out stigma around widowed, divorced women remarrying

Actor Hamza Ali Abbasi has shared two “big discoveries” from consultations behind his matchmaking platform Marriage4Life, drawing attention to long-standing stigmas around remarriage and women taking the initiative in marriage proposals in Pakistani society.

In a video shared on Instagram, Abbasi said a significant number of people approaching the platform are divorced or widowed women with children whose families want them to consider remarriage.

He stated that consultants had highlighted the negative attitudes some people hold towards women seeking to remarry, particularly those who have children.

“Whether someone wants to marry again or not is their own individual choice,” Abbasi said. “I just request that the women who do want to remarry, we should not view them in a negative light. Our religion has given these women this right; it is their moral right.” He added that changing these attitudes could “ease a lot of lives”.

Abbasi’s second observation concerned what he described as a social norm that needs “reconsidering”: the expectation that the groom’s family should always initiate a marriage proposal, while a proposal from the bride’s family is often viewed as inappropriate or unconventional.

“Please don’t restrain yourself from wanting to initiate the process,” he said. “We should not look down upon it; we should actually appreciate and encourage such steps being taken.”

Abbasi acknowledged that Pakistani society “has evolved in a lot of contexts”, but said these stigmas remained widespread. He added that the issue was not unique to Pakistan and was also common across South Asia.

“Our consultants tell us these are among the biggest issues faced by parents everywhere,” he said, expressing hope that speaking openly about the subject would “make it a bit easier for people seeking marriage”.

Abbasi launched Marriage4Life with his wife, actor Naimal Khawar Khan, in March 2026. At the time, the couple described it as a “safer, intention-driven platform to find a life partner, built for people serious about marriage”. By July 2026, the couple said the platform had crossed 20,000 members within three months of its launch, with Naimal saying the team was actively incorporating feedback from users.