Singer Meesha Shafi has acknowledged that she lied to the court during the sexual harassment lawsuit she brought against actor and fellow singer Ali Zafar a few years ago.
Shafi acknowledged sharing a photo with Ali Zafar on Facebook while being cross-examined by Zafar’s attorney via video link on Friday.
The photo captioned “Tonight we party! Happy Birthday Ayesha Fazli” was submitted by Shafi in the court as evidence of sexual harassment against Zafar.
Shafi initially said she was unable to confirm whether or not she had shared the photo on Facebook. She later acknowledged sharing the picture on Facebook but claimed she wasn’t sure what to write as the caption.
After she was shown the photo in question, Shafi said she would be able to confirm the caption after checking the record. During the proceedings, Shafi’s counsel raised the objection that the Facebook account shown by Zafar’s counsel could not be verified.
Also, Shafi said during the proceedings that she was unable to recall exactly when she told her husband about the alleged sexual harassment. “I told my husband later after the incident of sexual harassment, but I do not remember if it was after the first incident or the second. I did not tell anyone about the second incident for a long time,” she said.
Last year, the Supreme Court (SC) allowed Shafi’s cross-examination via video link.
She stated, “I informed my husband about the harassment after the incident, but I can’t recall if it was after the first or the second incident. I refrained from disclosing the second incident for a long period.”
The court decided that under the current legal system, a witness who is unable to appear in person in a civil lawsuit can nevertheless provide testimony by using modern technology like video conferencing.
Zafar has been accused of sexual harassment by Shafi back in 2018. The mother of two and singer, 36, published her tale of Zafar’s wrongdoing on Twitter. Addressing these concerns, according to her, will contribute to eradicating the culture of silence.
