Ali Zafar denies sexual harassment
Celebrated Pakistani singer to move court over claims made by musician Meesha Shafi
Pakistan’s celebrated singer and actor Ali Zafar yesterday emphatically denied all claims of sexual harassment made against him by fellow musician Meesha Shafi earlier in the day.
“I categorically deny any and all claims of harassment lodged against me by Ms Shafi. I intend to take this through the courts of law and to address this professionally and seriously rather than to lodge any allegations here [on Twitter]” Zafar said in a tweet, breaking silence on the issue.
In his tweet the singer also extended his support for the global #MeToo movement and said: “I am the father of a young girl and a young boy, a husband to a wife and a son to a mother. I am a man that has stood up for myself, my family, my colleagues and friends .. I have nothing to hide.”
In a statement on Twitter earlier yesterday, Pakistani singer and model Shafi accused Zafar of sexually harassing her on more than one occasion.
“Today, I speak up because my conscience does not allow me to be silent anymore,” said Shafi in her statement. “If this can happen to someone like me, an established artist, then it can happen to any young woman hoping to break into the industry and that concerns me gravely.”
Pakistan’s top musician Ali Zafar has denied “any and all claims of harassment” by fellow singer Meesha Shafi, who accused him of sexually harassing her on more than one occasion.
“I categorically deny any and all claims of harassment lodged against me by Ms Shafi. I intend to take this through the courts of law and to address this professionally and seriously rather than to lodge any allegations here [on Twitter]” Zafar wrote in a post on Twitter, breaking his silence on the issue.
‘If this can happen to me’
In his tweet, the singer also extended his support for the global #MeToo movement and said, “I am the father of a young girl and a young boy, a husband to a wife and a son to a mother. I am a man that has stood up for myself, my family, my colleagues and friends. I have nothing to hide.”
In a statement on Twitter yesterday, singer and model Meesha Shafi had accused Zafar of sexually harassing her on more than one occasion.
“Today, I speak up because my conscience does not allow me to be silent anymore,” Shafi said in her statement.
“If this can happen to someone like me, an established artist, then it can happen to any young woman hoping to break into the industry and that concerns me gravely.”
The singer-cum-actor continued: “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.”
Fans shocked
She added that “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 allegations stirred debate on social media where many fans were shocked by the allegation.
“It is simply unbelievable that one of Pakistan’s biggest stars could be involved in sexual misconduct. Many youngsters look up to Ali Zafar as an icon. This is really disgusting if it’s true,” said Rizwan Farooq, a fan of the singer.
Many women stood up with Meesha supporting her for being vocal.
“After Meesha Shafi’s revelation, I hope more women in Pakistan will find the courage to break the silence” says Salma Ebrahim, a teacher.
The global #MeToo campaign has encouraged several Pakistani celebrities to reveal their personal experience of child sexual abuse — most notably Frieha Altaf and Maheen Khan — but Shafi’s statement accusing Zafar of harassment becomes the first case of a Pakistani artist publicly calling out a fellow for sexual misconduct.