Actress and anchor Iffat Omar on Saturday recorded her statement in court on behalf of Meesha Shafi, supporting the allegations of sexual harassment against Ali Zafar.
She recalled that Meesha had been visibly disturbed before she went public with her allegations against Ali Zafar while adding that both the singer and her mother Saba Hamid were well-established celebrities who are highly respected within the industry and artistic circles. “I can never imagine that they would ever lie,” she said.
Iffat recalled that Meesha had visited her at her home 10 days before her initial tweets accusing Zafar of sexual harassment. She testified that Meesha was very distressed but did not reveal what was wrong on being questioned. “She only detailed the incident after she went public with the allegations,” Iffat said.
She further told the court that she was aware of the allegations levelled by renowned make up artist Leena Ghani, Maham Javaid and Humna and that she fully believed in the allegations made by these women.
Iffat also told the court that there are other women who have also levelled similar allegations against Ali Zafar; however, they have not done so publicly for fear of backlash and threats.
“It is very difficult for any woman to go public with something like this,” Iffat noted in her statement to the court. “I’m not supporting Meesha just because she’s my friend.”
Separately, Ali Zafar once again failed to file a reply in the Rs2 billion defamation suit filed by Shafi. His counsels have filed an application in court asking the judge to stay Meesha’s defamation on the grounds that Zafar’s suit for defamation should be decided first.
Meesha’s counsels have termed the move by Zafar a delay tactic to avoid adjudication of her case against him.
The court has adjourned the cases to November 9, 2019.
