Meesha Shafi's allegations caused me emotional and financial damage, says Ali Zafar

LAHORE - Pakistani popular singer Ali Zafar had filed the defamation suit last year against Meesha Shafi, who had accused him of sexual harassment.

The suit, claiming damages of Rs 1 billion, was filed under the Defamation Ordinance 2002. In the notice, the singer claimed Shafi damaged his reputation through false allegations of sexual harassment.

On Monday (yesterday),  Ali Zafar gave his statement before a district and sessions judge in Lahore. The statement continued for over four hours until the court adjourned the hearing till July 3, when Zafar will resume his testimony.

In his statement, Zafar said the accusations levelled by Shafi damaged him mentally and financially adding that they were part of an organised conspiracy before the release of his film, Teefa in Trouble. He accused Shafi of running fake social media accounts to launch a smear campaign against him.

The Huqa Pani singer had also claimed that Shafi had sent him a message before a music programme, warning that she would run a campaign against him if he did not leave that show.

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“The message I received from Meesha through my agent Rizwan Raees was to step aside from the project I will suffer. She said if I don’t leave the project she will publicly accuse me of harassment and furthermore she would not be alone.

“She said she will use the internationally renowned and respected #Metoo movement and warned me of the magnitude and impact of the movement. She added that when she comes out with the allegation riding on the movement, she will have ‘other women’ with her along with the press.

At one point, Shafi's lawyer asked the court to adjourn the hearing as Zafar's testimony had gone on for more than four hours. Zafar insisted that the court record his statement today as he had to travel abroad for a concert. The court allowed Zafar to continue recording his statement.

Ali had also shared with the court that his parents are both teachers and had "brought him up properly despite financial strains". He said that he had started his career as a sketch artist in a hotel lobby and began working as a musician in 2003. He had worked hard to become a successful artist, he said.

He further said that he also worked in the Bollywood industry in many films with actors including Imran Khan, Katrina Kaif, Ranveer Singh and Parineeti Chopra.

After five hours of hearing, LHC had adjourned the hearing until July 3.

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