Singer and actor Ali Zafar on Saturday said that Meesha Shafi, who accused him of sexual harassment, targeted him for personal gains. The famed singer maintained that Meesha Shafi filed for Canadian immigration after accusing him of sexual harassment and “may probably tried to become Malala Yousafzai” but failed.
As his Malala Yousafzai statement came under fire on social media, Ali Zafar took to Twitter, explaining, “Malala is a true warrior who stands for truth and justice having made great sacrifices. Meesha cannot become her by lying and running away from justice hiding behind fake profiles on social media.”
The actor Tweeted using the hashtag #FaceTheCourtMeeshaShafi.
Earlier, while speaking to media outside a session court in Lahore, Zafar claimed that he was targeted through an organised plan for personal gains. He further clarified that Shafi’s case was dismissed as was her appeal and “I am not guilty in the eyes of law.”
He added, “I had filed a defamation case against her and I appeared before the court without even being called.”
The case was lodged for the compensation against the losses that “me and my family suffered financially, mentally and in other ways for a year”, the singer continued.
He urged that the case should be decided speedily “so my truth and their lie can be revealed in front of the world”.
“I was targeted through a proper plan for personal gains. All such campaigns against me are based on lies.”
Social media campaigns “are still ongoing against me and I have taken this up with the Federal Investigation Agency,” Zafar stated, adding that, “Meesha’s lawyer has been following and reTweeting fake accounts”. Later, the artist also took to Twitter to post a comprehensive statement about the case.
In April 2018, Shafi alleged that Zafar sexually beleaguered her. She also used the #Meetoo hashtag saying that it is not easy to speak out but it is harder to stay silent. Later, Zafar took an oath to drag this case to the court.
Under the Defamation Ordinance 2002, the case was filed by the male actor, asserting compensation of Rs 1 billion.
Separately, actor Ahsan Khan took to Instagram, saying said that he would not criticise the Lux Style Awards (LSA) by jumping on the bandwagon.
“The platform has always supported our industry. They are the ones who gave me the Best Actor award when I worked in a play that highlighted the issue of child sexual abuse. They gave me a platform to talk about the lynching of Mishal Khan gave me an opportunity to present a song about the harassment cause,” he wrote.
In a thinly veiled reference to harassment allegations levelled by Shafi against Zafar, he said that it was up to the courts and not the people, to decide the veracity of allegations.
“It’s wrong to make a judgement on our own. It’s not anyone’s place to do so but the judges. Let’s trust our legal system and get off our high horses and stop condemning people based on accusations, conjecture and gossip,” he wrote.
LSAs were dragged into the controversy when they nominated Zafar for their Best Actor award. Since then, a number of celebrities have called for either withdrawal of Zafar’s nomination or theirs, in an apparent show of solidarity with Shafi.
However, there have been voices from within the industry urging everyone to realise that the matter is still sub judice.
The LSA, in their recent statement, said that the jury, “appreciates the sensitivity of the subject and recognises the intensity of public sentiment. Nevertheless, it is also important to respect that Pakistan’s judicial system is deciding the case”.