Meesha Shafi had accused Ali Zafar of sexual harassment on various incidents.
Pakistani actor Ali Zafar has sent a legal notice to singer-actor Meesha Shafi demanding her to apologise over the sexual harassment allegations she made against him or face defamation suit of Rs 100 crore. Shafi last Thursday in a shocking tweet accused Zafar of subjecting her to “sexual harassment of a physical nature” on more than one occasions.
Zafar “categorically denied all claims of harassment” made by Shafi and said that he “intends to take this through the courts of law”.
In the legal notice, Ali Zafar has asked Meesha Shafi to delete the tweet of allegations and issue an apology otherwise he will file defamation case against her.
Shafi’s lawyer, Muhammad Ahmad Pansota, confirmed that his client has received the legal notice. “We have received the notice and are examining its contents. The contents of Meesha’s statements with regard to Ali Zafar are based in truth, and therefore we dispel this notice,” he tweeted.
The singer-actor broke her silence on Twitter recently. She shared a long note with a caption that read, “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”
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
In the note, she wrote, “I have been subjected, on more than one occasion to sexual harassment of a physical nature at the hands of a colleague from my industry: Ali Zafar. These incidences did not happen when I was young or just entering the industry. This happened to me despite the fact that I am an empowered, accomplished woman who is known for speaking her mind! This happened to me as a mother of two children.”
The note further read, “It has been an extremely traumatic experience for me and my family. Ali is someone I have known for many years and someone who I have shared the stage with. I feel betrayed by his behaviour and his attitude and I know that I am not alone.”
— Ali Zafar (@AliZafarsays) April 19, 2018
A day after Meesha Shafi accused Ali Zafar of sexual harassment, more women from Pakistan’s entertainment industry came forward to allege that the actor misbehaved with them on various occasions.
With inputs from PTI