LAHORE (Muhammad Ashfaq) - A significant development has emerged in the case involving sexual harassment allegations by singer Meesha Shafi against fellow singer Ali Zafar, as an appeal against a sessions court’s decision awarding Rs5 million in damages has been scheduled for hearing in the Lahore High Court.
According to the registrar’s office, a two-member bench headed by Justice Ahmad Nadeem Arshad will hear the appeal tomorrow.
Meesha Shafi filed the appeal through her counsel, Saqib Jilani.
The appeal contends that the sessions court upheld Ali Zafar’s claim and ordered Meesha Shafi to pay Rs5 million in damages.
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However, it argues that while the trial court held that Meesha Shafi failed to prove her allegations, it also did not establish that Ali Zafar had not committed harassment.
It was further stated that Meesha Shafi had also approached the provincial ombudsperson over the sexual harassment allegations, and an appeal against the ombudsperson’s decision is currently pending before the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
The plea maintains that the damages decree cannot be enforced until a final decision is issued by the Supreme Court.
The petition requests the court to set aside the sessions court’s Rs5 million damages ruling, arguing that the trial court did not properly assess the facts.