The bone of contention between Atif Aslam and Goher Mumtaz, which led to the former’s exit from Jal band 21 years ago, has time and again become a topic of discussion for fans.But what actually happened between the two?

Recently, singer, actor and founder of Jal, Gohar Mumtaz, appeared as a guest on Ahmad Ali Butt’s podcast, where he discussed experiences and addressed his relationship with fellow musician Atif Aslam.

When asked as to how he dealt with the intense criticism and personal challenges he faced following Atif’s exit, especially with all the attention the situation grabbed, here’s what he had to say, “It was a struggle for me personally, but I thought that if you emotionally control yourself and don’t focus on what someone said or what their brother did, then it becomes less of an issue.”

“That was my thinking, but I had to suppress a lot because I didn’t want to disappoint those fans who want to make music and form bands. Being in a band is a harsh reality, and you know that well. But because the band and music were larger than life, I didn’t want to say anything negative about anyone. I wanted to prove my work through my songs. That was my thinking, but obviously, there was pressure about whether I could do it again,” he added.

Reflecting on his relationship with Atif, Gohar said, “I do regret one thing… I have a different relationship with you, and you are also a good friend of Atif. I regret that Samina Peerzada had a programme where Atif talked a lot about me. I think that was the first time he spoke about me. I also gave that interview and they asked me the same questions but I did not open up.”

“Again, Atif never brought that up. I think we have matured now; we are not 17 or 18 anymore. We should inspire people with good things because people still love us.”

Goher was referring to Atif’s statement wherein he had opened up about the reasons that led to his departure from Jal.

“I worked in Jal Band for 3-4 years, producing 6-7 songs, we parted ways due to multiple reasons. My brother, working at a marketing company, managed us. Discussions with Goher focused on performing live shows and leveraging my brother’s marketing expertise. Initially, my brother considered quitting his full-time job to focus on our project and he managed us for a couple of months. However, Gohar suggested his brother should manage him too. The core issue was financial disparity,” Atif had said.

When asked about the impact of Farhan Saeed’s departure from the band, Gohar responded said, “Honestly, I have a very good bond with him. We didn’t let the past affect our relationship, and we’ve had a great bond. I think we were together for about eight to eleven years. So that didn’t affect us. In fact, we thought we needed to move on. We’re not kids anymore; we have to look ahead.”

“I think Farhan’s intention in leaving was to see what’s next. When you’re in a band and have won every award, from Best South Asian Band to Favorite Artist in India, there comes a time when you wonder what’s next. I always told him that the best thing for him was to stay with Jal and also do Bollywood, as it’s a combination that feels right,” he said.