Meesha Shafi admits submitting false statement in harassment case against Ali Zafar

LAHORE – Singer Meesha Shafi has admitted that she gave a false statement in the court in the sexual harassment case she filed against fellow singer and actor Ali Zafar a few years ago. 

During cross-examination by Zafar's counsel via video link on Friday, Shafi admitted that she had shared a photo with Zafar on Facebook.

The photo captioned "Tonight we party! Happy Birthday Ayesha Fazli" was submitted by Shafi in the court as evidence of sexual harassment against Zafar.

Initially, Shafi said she could not confirm if she had posted the picture on her Facebook. However, she later admitted posting the photo on Facebook, but said she was uncertain about the caption.

After she was shown the photo in question, Shafi said she would be able to confirm the caption after checking the record. During the proceedings, Shafi’s counsel raised the objection that the Facebook account shown by Zafar’s counsel could not be verified.

Also, Shafi said during the proceedings that she was unable to recall exactly when she told her husband about the alleged sexual harassment. “I told my husband later after the incident of sexual harassment, but I do not remember if it was after the first incident or the second. I did not tell anyone about the second incident for a long time,” she said.

Last year, the Supreme Court (SC) had allowed Shafi's cross-examination via video link.

She stated, "I informed my husband about the harassment after the incident, but I can't recall if it was after the first or the second incident. I refrained from disclosing the second incident for a long period."

The court ruled that modern technology such as video conferencing can be employed to record the evidence of a witness who is unable to appear in person in a civil case within the prevailing legal framework.

Back in 2018, Shafi had levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Zafar. On Twitter, the 36-year-old singer and mother of two shared her account of Zafar's misconduct. She said that addressing such issues would help break the culture of silence.

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