A sessions court has issued a detailed verdict in the defamation case filed by singer Ali Zafar against fellow artist Meesha Shafi, ruling in favour of the plaintiff and directing the defendant to pay damages.
According to the judgment, Meesha Shafi had posted tweets on April 19, 2018, alleging sexual harassment against Ali Zafar and had also filed a complaint with the provincial ombudsperson over workplace harassment claims.
The court held that Ali Zafar successfully proved his defamation claim, declaring the allegations as unsubstantiated. It ordered Meesha Shafi to pay Rs5 million in damages to the singer.
As per the detailed decision, Ali Zafar had earlier filed a defamation suit seeking Rs1 billion in damages, rejecting all allegations. Meesha Shafi, in her defence, maintained that the lawsuit was intended to pressure her into withdrawing her complaint before the ombudsperson.
However, the court concluded that the harassment allegations were not proven and directed the defendant to compensate the plaintiff. The verdict further stated that Meesha Shafi would refrain from making such allegations on any platform in the future.