Ali Noor issues public apology following harassment call-out

Singer has deleted his initial note and replaced it with another addressed to Ayesha Binte Rashid.

After journalist Aisha Binte Rashid called out singer Ali Noor for his “nonsense apology” on social media, following an alleged conversation she had with him in which she confronted him for "sexually harassing,” her, Noor has shared an apology on his Instagram and tagged Ayesha for clarity.

Noor deleted his previous Stories, which sparked frenzy on Twitter, to write, “Dear @balancingbinte [Ayesha Binte Rashid], after deeply deliberating various responses, I came to the conclusion that the only right response is that I am truly, deeply sorry. I cannot fathom your pain and only apologize once again.”

He went on to assert that he is “not an ill-intentioned person” and is still a “work in progress,”-- something he had said in his alleged response to Ayesha in the conversation shared by her as well. “I hope that you can find some relief in my apology. Baaki Allah Maalik (the rest I leave to God).”

In her chat with Noor, Ayesha had called him a “predator” and “womaniser”, afterwhich, Noor apparently reached out to Rashid from his wife’s WhatsApp since she had blocked his number on the app. The screeshots of this conversation shared by Ayesha see Noor thank her for the “wake up call”, urging her to “forgive herself, first” and then “others around” her.

When reached out for an explanation, the singer refused to give a statement but insisted that the "complete" version of his chat be shared publicly. Noor claimed that he had sent a few messages in response to Ayesha's initial message but she did not mention them in her post. In these "missing" messages, shared exclusively with The Express Tribune, Noor admits: “You are absolutely right, sometimes one needs a mirror to see. I am truly your culprit and I am willing to pay any punishment.”

It is pertinent to mention here that The Express Tribune has not been able to independently verify the authenticity of the conversations shared by both Ayesha and Noor.

Noor’s initial take to Instagram

Hours after refusing to comment on the matter while speaking to the publication, Noor posted a note on his Instagram Stories which received immense backlash on social media. It was removed before being archived after 24 hours. A post announcing Noor’s upcoming song, which he posted on his Instagram after Ayesha shared the screenshots online, has also been removed or archived.

An excerpt from Noor’s note read: “Today, I put the teaser and release date of the video and the song but as I was doing that I got a message from newspapers that I have been accused of #MeToo by Ayesha Binte and my screenshots and apologies have been put up. She didn't put all of them and that's sad. I even suggested I should be hanged and executed publicly. She simply wasn't taking me seriously. Anyway, I am so glad she finally put it out. Finally my boredom is going to end and I might even become more famous. But you know what, I never gave a f**k about fame. For now, I want to tell you how I felt after my last letter to you. I have felt that I don't need therapists or anyone but myself to find my solace. That's why I used to say, you have to BIY to DIY (Believe in Yourself to Do It Yourself). It was no Sanjan Nagar rhetoric. It is the only thing I knew. I kind of stopped for a while and then 'meray dimagh ki kamar main dard nikal ayee.' This is not new. You had it too but when you listened to other people and their fears and your own fears, then BIY just went away. You know I am no predator and don't do things like #MeToo.”

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.