ISLAMABAD: Ali Zafar’s defamation suit against Meesha Shafi entered a new phase as singer Meesha Shafi filed an appeal in the Lahore High Court against a sessions court ruling that ordered her to pay PKR 5 million in damages to Ali Zafar.
The challenge follows a March 31 decision in Lahore, where the trial court ruled in Zafar’s favor in a defamation case he filed in 2018 after Shafi publicly accused him of sexual harassment.
The appeal filed through Advocate Saqib Jilani argues that the trial court erred both in law and on facts while adjudicating the dispute.
A main contention raised in the appeal is that the trial court proceeded to decide the defamation suit despite the underlying sexual harassment allegations remaining unresolved on merits.
The petition highlighted that Meesha had previously approached the provincial ombudsperson on harassment, but her complaint was dismissed.
It added that her appeal against the ombudsperson’s decision remains pending before the Supreme Court of Pakistan, and contends that the defamation decree should not have been issued until a final ruling is delivered.
Shafi’s appeal further argues that the sessions court misapplied the burden of proof. Her lawyers contend that while the court found she could not substantiate her harassment allegations, it did not require Zafar to prove the harassment never occurred. The appeal challenges this reasoning as legally flawed and asks the high court to set aside the damages order.
Additionally, the appeal disputes the inference drawn from continued social and professional interactions between the parties, arguing that such a conduct does not negate the possibility of harassment, particularly in cases involving subtle or discreet behaviour.
In 2021, the Supreme Court accepted Meesha’s petition filed against the LHC order for the preliminary hearing. Following hearing the arguments, the apex court remarked that the points raised by the petitioner must be reviewed, and clubbed the case with the suo motu notice taken to define sexual harassment, also pending in the court.
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