Mahenur Haider says her family, friends 'mocked her' for wearing Burqa

Renowned model and actress Mahenur Haider, who is famous for her role as Apana in the popular drama Khay, has revealed that she faced ridicule from her family and friends for wearing a burqa, a traditional headscarf worn by Muslim women.

In a recent podcast appearance on Ahmad Ali Butt's show, Mahenur shared her personal experiences.

"I started wearing the abaya in class 9, but my father called it hypocrisy," Mahenur recalled. "He meant that I should change from internal first before making external changes".

The actress said that her family members offer prayers "but there is no tradition of veiling in her house".

"They wear dupatta but do not wear burqa," she added.

Mahenure further said that even her mother was not in favour of her being a Hijabi girl.

"My mother even said, Mahnoor, you look strange with us. When we go out, you don't seem like part of our family," she said.

"My friends would also make fun of me, so I eventually stopped wearing it," Mahenur admitted.

The actress said that her profession requires her to present herself in a certain way, and therefore, she no longer feels the need to cover up.