Sanam Jung opens up about the challenges of raising children outside of Pakistan

Actor-host gets candid about what life is like when her husband is away for work

Actor-host Sanam Jung often talks about the challenges of her personal life. Last year, she shared her experience of living abroad after marriage and the homesickness that comes with it. Fast forward to this year, Sanam made an appearance in Good Morning Pakistan on Thursday and discussed what motherhood is like while her husband has to leave home for work. 

Sanam got married to Abdul Qassam Jafri in 2016. The two immigrated to Houston, Texas in 2023 and Sanam talked about her ‘real rukhsati’ in an appearance on Shan e Suhoor in 2024. She shared that her and Jafri, who is a pilot, had initially agreed to maintain a long-distance relationship when he relocated to the US for his career. However, once Sanam’s green card came through, she made the decision to move to Texas with their daughter so they could all live under the same roof.

The actor gave birth to a baby girl Alaya in 2016 and announced it in a Facebook post. In 2024, Sanam announced the birth of their second daughter Aliza.

Whilst the family is happy to be together, Sanam still struggles to manage household chores alone. “Qassam is not home for fifteen days every month due to work. When he comes back, he makes sure to sort all the groceries. He does all the major tasks which I might not be able to do as I take care of two kids. I can manage the rest on my own.”

The Jago Pakistan Jago host misses work but is unable to commit due to other responsibilities. “I can’t do an in-person job because of my kids.” she said. “I try to do Instagram endorsements and shout outs for brands. Even these things I try to do when my husband is home because I can’t leave my kids alone. It really scares me.” 

She admitted her decision to leave behind work to focus on her kids has its downsides. “As someone who has always been very career-oriented, I do miss working,” she said. 

In previous interviews, Sanam has also talked about the lack of household help abroad. “I took life for granted in Pakistan,” said the actor in Ramzan transmission Shan e Suhoor in 2023. “You don’t realise it, but when you move away, even if you run out of tomatoes, there is no one you can call on to run and get it for you. And if you spill something, there’s no one there to clean up after you. You have to do it all yourself.” 

Despite not having the ideal situation, Sanam remains grateful. “Although I’m not working at the moment, I’m doing an even more important job which is to give time to my kids.”