A sessions court on Tuesday ruled in favour of singer and actor Ali Zafar in a long-running defamation case, ordering singer Meesha Shafi to pay Rs.5 million in damages.
In a short order issued after the conclusion of arguments, the court held Shafi liable for defamation over allegations of sexual harassment she had made against Zafar. Court officials said a detailed judgement outlining the reasoning behind the decision will be released in due course.
The case stems from 2018, when Meesha Shafi publicly accused Ali Zafar of sexually harassing her on more than one occasion, sparking one of Pakistan’s most high-profile #MeToo controversies. The allegations triggered widespread debate across the entertainment industry and on social media, with several public figures weighing in on issues of workplace harassment, accountability, and women speaking out.
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In response, Zafar filed a defamation suit the same year, maintaining that the accusations were false, malicious, and had caused irreparable damage to his reputation, career, and personal life. He claimed that the allegations subjected him and his family to public backlash, mental distress, and professional losses, and initially sought Rs1 billion in damages.
Over the course of the proceedings, Zafar’s counsel, Advocate Umar Tariq Gill, argued that the defendant failed to substantiate her claims with credible evidence. He told the court that the allegations were baseless and emphasised that no other individual had ever accused Zafar of similar misconduct, urging the court to grant damages in favour of his client.
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On the other hand, Shafi’s legal team, led by Advocate Saqib Jilani, contended that the defamation suit was an attempt to silence a woman for speaking out about her experiences. The defence argued that Shafi had consistently maintained her stance throughout extensive cross-examination and had reported multiple incidents of alleged harassment. Her counsel further asserted that the plaintiff had not met the legal threshold required to prove defamation and requested the court to dismiss the case with costs.
The verdict marks a significant development in a case that has remained under public and legal scrutiny for several years, highlighting ongoing tensions between defamation law and the right to speak out on allegations of harassment in Pakistan.
