Arey yaad hai na when Asim Azhar and Merub Ali suddenly got “engaged” out of nowhere? One minute they were “just family friends,” next minute they were holding hands in a studio and people were calling them Pakistan’s It Couple. And we were all clapping, saying “MashaAllah, so pure, so sweet!” Meanwhile, their Relationship Red Flags? Flashing red! Blinking like emergency generator lights during load-shedding.
But did anyone listen? No, no. We were too busy reposting their Eid pictures and melting over their “low-key, halal vibes.” But meri jaan, the whole thing was a FILM, and we aunties could smell the plot twist from the first scene.
Let me tell you something: I’ve seen enough love stories to know when one’s running on PR fumes instead of real pyar. From that suspiciously silent long engagement, to the unfollowing spree, to the rebounds flying in faster than Lahore rainwater in monsoon, this relationship had red flags waving like jhandiyan on 14th August.
And don’t even get me started on poor Hania. Bichari was just out there living her life, and suddenly her makeup bag is being metaphorically “stolen” by her so-called friend. Ajeeb hi love triangle ha!
So sit down, grab your chai and a pack of Sooper biscuits, because aaj toh full breakdown hoga. We’re going to revisit 8 major red flags we all ignored while scrolling through Asim & Merub’s Insta-perfect romance. Kyun? Because this isn’t just about them, this is about spotting the signs before you waste three years and a whole engagement on vibes alone.
Shuru karain?
1. Public Shade ≠ Closure – Clarity Over Cryptic Posts
You see, honey, when it comes to breakups, the line between closure and chaos is thinner than your Instagram filter, especially if you’re a celebrity with millions of fans watching your every typo. Enter Asim Azhar, who after his breakup with Hania Amir dropped that Instagram/Twitter gem: “Alhamdulillah, I made an escape.”
Now, what did that do? It sparked a full-fledged analyze‑fest. Fans went black-ops on the post, “Is that about Hania?” they wondered. Hania did not stay silent; she took to Instagram Live and Twitter, labeling him “bitter” and “not dignified.” The internet exploded, turning this into a showdown of cryptic dig vs. reaction.
Lesson: Public shade is not mature healing, it’s a social media fireworks display, and you don’t get to control who holds the match. Every clever meme becomes a public clue, and suddenly your drama belongs to the fans, tabloids, and keyboard warriors.
Auntie’s Advice: Want a clean breakup without everyone speculating? Then one of two choices: say it clearly or don’t say it at all. No needy memes, no snarky subtweets. Just private conversations and zero-stakes silence. Otherwise, prepare for water-cooler gossip and trending hashtags.
2. Dating Your Friend’s Ex? Welcome to Drama Central
Now, this one is a classic, like dating your best friend’s ex. So much gossip potential, so little reason to risk it.
Merub Ali was once part of Hania Amir’s inner friend circle, they jammed together on Instagram Lives, hung out at conferences, and shared casual inside jokes with Asim. But then: Asim and Hania break up, and within a few months, Asim is engaged to Merub. Cue Reddit’s riot:
“Something nasty went down between the three of them… Merub and Asim lied about the engagement date.”
And let’s not ignore: fans smelled something fishy, two best friends plus a rebound and minus timeline transparency is a hot triangle. People started questioning loyalty, boundaries, and motives.
Lesson: Messing within your close circle invites judgment, and it’s loud. Every shared memory becomes fuel.
Auntie’s take: Trust that some lines shouldn’t be crossed. If you date your friend’s ex, you open the door for your own story to become everyone else’s tea.
Also Read: 6 Times Hania Amir and Badshah Made Headlines
3. Family Approval Still Rules—Don’t Cut Corners
In all the glitz and glam, a desi auntie knows the real true power move: a mother’s blessing. And in this cuz-it-matters family subplot, whispers ran wild that Asim’s mother disapproved of Hania, but loved Merub, since her mom and Merub’s mom are best friends. This wasn’t speculation, it was sourced from Reddit chatter. (Yes, Reddit is a more legit source than our news channels)
We also know Asim stated publicly that wedding decisions would be “dependent on families giving good news,” (i.e., blessings and approval). So yes, another lesson: don’t bypass your family’s voice, even if your heart screams “hell yes!”
Deeper Look:
- Hania never quite warmed up to Asim’s mom in photos or Instagram Lives.
- Merub, on the other hand, had photos with Asim’s extended family at engagement functions and aunties were swooning.
- Reddit sleuths noted that the chemistry wasn’t just between the couple, but between the families, and that meant real estate in the marriage gossip charts.
Auntie’s Insight: Family approval isn’t a relic, it’s always active in desi relationships. If your soon to be Saas never cracks a real smile with you, then sis, it’s a flashing neon sign. Evaluate before you escalate!
4. Engaged Doesn’t Mean ‘Forever’ – Progress Over Appearances
Beta, let’s get one thing straight. Engagement is not a diploma. It doesn’t certify that you’ve “made it” in love. It’s not the final chapter, it’s barely the intermission. And in Asim and Merub’s case, that intermission dragged on for a whole three years. They announced their engagement in March 2022, and fans waited. And waited. And waited some more. But the shaadi never came.
People speculated everything, from cold feet to clashing career goals. In June 2025, Asim posted a calm, clean breakup note on Instagram, stating that he and Merub had “decided to part ways” and that it was “mutual, respectful and peaceful.” Social media tried to stay composed, but Pakistani Twitter? Oh ho ho! It lit up like a mehndi stage during load-shedding. The fans had questions: Why no wedding? Were they ever in love? Was the engagement just damage control after Hania?
Desi aunties, including this one, were not buying the “peaceful” bit. No fights? No family drama? And No secret third wheels? Not even one flying slipper? Impossible.
But here’s the real takeaway: An engagement should be a stepping stone, not a parking spot. If two years go by and you’re still saying “soon, Insha’Allah” with no plan in sight, maybe it’s time to reevaluate. A relationship stuck in eternal planning mode usually points to deeper issues: mismatched goals, one-sided enthusiasm, or simply the slow fizzle of passion under the weight of public expectations.
Auntie’s wisdom: Don’t stay engaged for the optics. A ring without resolve is just costume jewelry.
5. New Flings Blur the ‘Mutual Breakup’ Narrative
Now, nothing confuses your “amicable breakup” like suspiciously swift chemistry with someone new. Enter: Havi. A rapper, singer, and (allegedly) Merub’s new flame. Within WEEKS of Asim inviting HAVI to perform on her birthday, Merub was spotted everywhere with HAVI. Literally, EVERYWHERE. (We aunties see everything, okay?)
Meanwhile, Asim unfollowed Havi. Fans noticed. And just like that, all that “peaceful and mutual” energy vanished into the wind like last night’s biryani aroma.
Now, listen closely: When you jump into a new equation too soon, it rewrites the math of the old one. Even if there was no overlap, it looks like there was. And in the eyes of the internet, and your khala who refreshes her Instagram feed like a job, it doesn’t matter what actually happened. All that matters is perception.
This new little triangle of Asim, Merub, and Havi sparked memes, side-eyes, and theories galore. People began asking whether the engagement was doomed long before the breakup was public. Was Merub mentally checked out? Was Havi a factor all along? Nobody knows for sure, but the timing didn’t help her case.
Auntie’s rule of thumb: If you’ve just stepped out of one emotional plane crash, don’t immediately board another. Sit in the terminal. Reflect. Heal. Read a book. Stop jumping from one runway to another, you’ll cause a social media pileup.
6. Long Engagements Attract Public Pressure – Set Timelines, Not Just Hashtags
Let me explain something: Desi society LOVES a good deadline. Whether it’s a wedding date, baby plans, or your CSS results, people want timelines. And if you don’t give them one, they’ll make one up for you.
That’s exactly what happened with Asim and Merub. They got engaged in early 2022 and kept sharing occasional cute posts. Roses on Valentine’s Day, birthdays, filtered selfies, vague captions like “My person.” But as time passed with no shaadi, the whispers grew louder.
Reddit threads began popping up:
“They’re just engaged for PR.”
“She’s too focused on acting.”
“He’s still not over Hania.”
“Something’s off.”
Instagram comments went from “MashaAllah!” to “Shaadi kab hai bhai?” faster than you could say “Mayun.”
Desi society is not kind to couples who “linger.” Even if there’s no problem, they’ll invent one. Long engagements make people suspicious: Are they commitment-phobic? Are the parents fighting? Are they just waiting for a better option?
And to be fair, some fans weren’t wrong. It turns out that while the couple looked picture-perfect online, the offline reality was different. Delayed decisions, uncertain futures, and maybe a little emotional drift turned their relationship into a question mark.
Auntie’s Advice: If you’re going to take your time, make your intentions clear, to each other and to the families (Insta family included. After all, we are in this together). A long engagement is fine if both people are still paddling in the same direction. If not, it’s just two people stuck in the same canoe, drifting apart.
7. Imitation Isn’t Flattery – It’s Fuel for Comparison
Now we get to the real gossip. The Selena vs. Hailey situation. Or in our case, Hania vs. Merub.
After Merub’s engagement, fans started noticing something strange. Her poses, outfits, social captions, even brand endorsements, eerily similar to Hania’s. And when she recreated that iconic “Bewafa car video” that Hania once did? Whew! The internet had a field day.
Screenshots were posted. Side-by-sides flooded Twitter. YouTubers made entire breakdown videos titled:
“Is Merub copying Hania?”
“Desi Hailey Bieber vibes?”
“When did individuality die?”
The narrative wasn’t helped by the fact that Hania is a national sweetheart with a huge fanbase. People were already bitter about her being “replaced,” and now Merub was being painted as a “wannabe.” Not because she is, necessarily, but because in a digital world, image is everything.
Now, here’s the tea: Even if Merub was doing things innocently, same brands, same camera angles, it looked like mimicry. And once you earn that label, it’s hard to shake off.
Auntie’s advice: Don’t borrow someone else’s script. Be the main character in your own drama. If you start walking and talking like your partner’s ex, you invite unwanted comparisons. And worse, people stop seeing you as you.
So many women lose themselves in relationships trying to “measure up.” But why match someone else’s vibe when you can make your own? Auntie says: You were born to be a mirchi, not a me-too.
Also Read: Famous Pakistani Celebrity Couples Whose Love Stories Inspire
8. Passive-Aggressive Shade Echoes Louder Than You Think
And now we enter the murkiest waters of modern relationships: the “cryptic post” phase, where every eyeliner smudge and poetic caption becomes a nuclear-level attack. And let me tell you, Hania Aamir knows how to serve it subtle.
Not long ago, Hania posted a now-iconic Instagram comment: “Someone stole my makeup bag.” Seemingly innocent? Ha! Please. This is 2025—we all speak fluent passive-aggressive. The internet lost its collective mind. Everyone rushed to Reddit, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) to dissect the line.
Was she calling Merub a copycat? Was she saying she’d been imitated so hard her identity was stolen? Or was it a dig? A joke? A poetic mic drop?
Answer: all of the above.
And guess what? It didn’t end there. Asim liked a random meme the next day, and that too was screen-captured and decoded. It’s a whole subculture now: reading between the digital lines. What used to be poetry is now weaponized subtlety.
Here’s what our generation still doesn’t fully understand: online shade doesn’t stay online. Once you put it out there, it multiplies. People add layers. They add hashtags. They stitch TikToks. Before you know it, a passing comment becomes your entire public narrative.
Desi Auntie Truth: If you have something to say, say it directly. Call your bestie. Send a voice note. Write in your diary if you must. But once it goes on Instagram with a filter and 37 likes, it’s public property. It’s tea. And it will be served with biscuits by bored uncles and nosy office colleagues by 9 a.m.
Remember: the shade you throw might just bounce back harder than a chappal in Ramzan traffic.
The Auntie-Approved Wrap-Up
Phew, what a ride, na?
We started with memes and ended with microphones, but in between, we got a front-row seat to love, loss, shade, strategy, and SO MUCH SUBTEXT. The Asim–Merub breakup wasn’t just a celebrity split. It was a masterclass in modern relationships in the social media age, where love isn’t just personal, it’s public performance.
Let’s recap what all the choti khalaas and cool cousins learned:
- If you want real closure, skip the cryptic poetry.
- Don’t mess around in your bestie’s ex-zone unless you love drama.
- Moms still matter, especially his.
- A ring is not a lock. Engagement ≠ eternity.
- Soft-launching your next fling too soon just invites soft whispers behind your back.
- If you’re going to rebound, do it with grace, not in front of 3 million followers.
- And if you talk the talk, darling, make sure you walk the walk, preferably in heels.
From confusing timelines to unfollows to passive-aggressive reels, this story had everything but a soundtrack. But even if the fairy tale didn’t end in shaadi, it left us with a bouquet of red flags, lessons, and one undeniable truth:
In this desi world of public romance, the real prize isn’t the ring, it’s the respect you carry when it all falls apart.
