A District and Session Court in Lahore has barred Meesha Shafi from making any defamatory statements against Ali Zafar until the final decision of the case.
Ali had filed a defamation suit against Meesha after she accused Ali of sexually harassing her. During the hearing of the case on June 25, Additional District Judge Ahmed Shahzad granted a stay order in favour of Ali. The order restrains Meesha from making any further defamatory statements across all available mediums until the court’s final verdict on the case.
In the case lodged by Ali’s legal counsel, it is stated that Meesha’s allegations were already dismissed some weeks ago at the ombudsman’s office. The case was dismissed for not withstanding Meesha’s claim of harassment at the workplace.
The next date of court hearing is in July.
Earlier in April, Meesha took to Twitter to reveal that she has been, “on more than one occasion, subjected to sexual harassment of a physical nature at the hands of Ali Zafar.â€
Sharing this because I believe that by speaking out about my own experience of sexual harassment, I will break the culture of silence that permeates through our society. It is not easy to speak out.. but it is harder to stay silent. My conscience will not allow it anymore #MeToo pic.twitter.com/iwex7e1NLZ
— MEESHA SHAFI (@itsmeeshashafi) April 19, 2018
Following which, Ali had denied the allegation in a statement. “I am deeply aware and in support of the global #MeToo movement and what it stands for. I am the father of a young girl and a young boy, a husband to a wife and a son to a mother. I am a man that has stood up for myself, my family, my colleagues and friends countless times in the face of slander, defamation and general unkindness. I will do the same today. I have nothing to hide. Silence is absolutely not an option.
I categorically deny any and all claims of harassment lodged against me by Ms Shafi. I intend to take this through the courts of law and to address this professionally and seriously rather than to lodge any allegations here, contesting personal vendettas on social media and in turn disrespecting the movement, my family, the industry and my fans. Ultimately I am a strong believer that the truth, always prevails,†he had tweeted.
