It's not just me, other women have accused Ali Zafar of harassment as well: Meesha Shafi

'I was under a lot of pressure but you won't see me crying about it', said the singer

Singer Meesha Shafi, in her first television appearance since filing sexual harassment charges against fellow artist Ali Zafar, did not rule out reaching a settlement on the matter. In April 2018, Shafi claimed she was sexually harassed by Zafar on multiple occasions.

The Channo singer, however, denied the allegations and has since filed a defamation suit against her. In an interview with Geo News on Monday, the starlet responded to Zafar’s statements of maligning and “mentally torturing” his family for the past year.



PHOTO: FILE

“Whatever I shared last year was about my own personal experience with him,” said Shafi.

“Yes, we should absolutely believe women but maybe others had a different experience with the said person. Maybe they didn’t face what I did; they aren’t at the receiving end of it. If you haven’t endured it, how can you say another person is lying?”

Performing together:

The artists had a rehearsal before a concert where they were supposed to perform together onstage. In the jamming session, which was set at Zafar’s house, the Overload vocalist revealed she was harassed by him.

According to Shafi’s statement, there were witnesses present. She commented there are a number of them who are willing to record their statements in court. “Maybe someone saw what transpired there. Maybe they’ll come forward with their statements,” added Shafi.



Meesha Shafi and Ali Zafar. PHOTO: FILE

Talking about performing on stage with Zafar, the Mein singer said it was the concert organisers’ idea and that she only agreed to it upon their insistence.

“It wasn’t my idea. It was under our agreement as per the professional contract. It wasn’t something that I suggested,” mentioned the star. “As per the harassment laws, the witnesses’ testimonies are taken as evidence.”

'Forgave and forgot'

It was reported that following the said incident, Shafi met Zafar at a party.

Clarifying the matter, she revealed, “I didn’t. I met his younger brother for the first time there. And no, I didn’t meet Ali.” The Aaya Lariye crooner continued that since she had familial ties with Zafar, she tried phasing him and his family out.

Shafi came out with her allegations against Zafar after the same incident occurred for the second time. “I discussed it with my husband the first time it happened. My first stance on this incident was to forgive and forget,” she stated. “And that’s what I decided to do. I forgave and forgot about it.”



Shafi’s husband is a sound engineer and has worked with Zafar on several occasions.

“No, he just worked once with Ali. That was a long time after the first incident happened,” said Shafi.

“We had just let it go. Whether there was an event or not, we met Ali on numerous occasions. There are only two ways to deal with something like this. Either you confront or you let it go. We chose the latter option.”

Why she didn't speak up

“The reason I didn’t speak for four months after the second incident in December 2017, was because I blocked it out and I had moved on.” Shafi confessed it wasn’t until she was having a discussion about harassment with her children one day that she realised she had to take action against her own ordeal.

“I had made a promise to myself that, after what I had experienced firsthand, I would not put myself in such a situation where I would feel vulnerable like this,” noted Shafi.

“I was trying very hard not to let this come out. I had given them the message that I do not want a controversy of any kind, and that I do not want this to come out in public. I also tried my level best to sort the issue privately, behind closed doors. But I didn’t get any breakthrough.”

Meesha had accused Zafar of sexual harassment in a series of tweets. FILE PHOTOS

The model-turned-singer continued even after she came out with her story, nothing really happened. “I was humiliated, I was demeaned. It frustrated me that nothing happened. When someone like me, who’s in a position to speak out, shared her story, it didn’t make a difference. So, I was taken back to the same thought – why speak out?” she added.

“How this is (forgiving) going to happen, what mode we have and what kind of arbitration or mediation we will adopt, I don’t know. But you have to remember one thing – it wasn’t just me, there are other women who have the same story about the same person.”

 

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A rough year

Zafar previously took to media to share that his family have had a difficult time following Shafi’s allegations against him. Shafi retaliated that it wasn’t just him who has been through a rough year but she faced severe backlash too.

“When I came out with my story, I knew the kind of backlash I was going to face. There was slander, there was character assassination,” commented Shafi. “I was under a lot of pressure but you won’t see me crying about it.”

She called out the hashtag #FaceTheCourtMeeshaShafi, maintaining that contrary to the perception being built that she is evading the hearings, she has not yet been summoned by the court.

“I will appear before the court whenever it summons me,” concluded Shafi.

Watch her full interview here:


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