A sessions court in Pakistan ordered on Tuesday singer Meesha Shafi to pay PKR 5 million in damages to singer-actor Ali Zafar in a defamation case.
The court issued a short order in favor of Zafar. A detailed verdict is expected to be released later.
The decision came a day after the court reserved its judgment following the conclusion of hearings, indicating that a ruling would be announced soon.
Zafar filed the defamation suit in 2018 after Shafi accused him the same year of sexually harassing her on multiple occasions.
In his petition, Zafar argued that the allegations damaged his public image and caused distress to him and his family. He sought PKR 1 billion in damages.
During final arguments last week, Zafar’s counsel, Advocate Umar Tariq Gill, told the court that the allegations were false and had seriously harmed his client’s reputation. He said no other individual had made similar accusations against Zafar and asked the court to decree the suit in full.
Shafi’s lawyer, Advocate Saqib Jilani, urged the court to dismiss the case. He argued that the plaintiff had failed to present concrete evidence to support the defamation claim.
Jilani told the court that Shafi had consistently maintained her account of multiple alleged incidents, even under extensive cross-examination, and should not be penalized for speaking about her own experience.
The case has drawn public attention in Pakistan since 2018, when the allegations first became public.
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