The sexual harassment accusations against Ali Zafar seem to be getting murkier by the day. While Meesha Shafi recently opened up in an interview about what exactly happened to her. Zafar’s band members have come out in support of him.
In a conversation with Daily Pakistan, Meesha revealed:
The first time it happened, I didn’t react and just left. I told my husband but also asked him to not react; I’m a public figure and so is he (Ali Zafar). My thought process was who I am and who he is and what that’s going to lead to. Being ready to talk was far off because it had just happened. I buried it.
She also said that she was seen as a diva when she tried to avoid him after the incident.
I got booked for a concert. I was jamming with my band in Lahore and the organisers insisted that he was trying to get in touch. It started turning into a thing, and I was being seen as difficult or a diva, I got such feelers. I was avoiding him. I was asked to jam, figure out songs, scale and it happened while we were jamming.She clarified how photos of both of them taken after the incident were at social gatherings and were done so because it was easier to tell herself to move on. The singer also said she was speaking up now because she was ready for it.
Meesha went on to say she felt like it was hard to keep her silence after she saw women coming out with their stories surrounding the #Metoo movement.
The first and foremost reason is that I’m ready. I have started talking to people and divulging my experience. I’m finding it hard on my conscious to stay silent any longer than this because I’m seeing such brave girls and women speaking up – not just around the world – but here as well. I have to say, by the way, I salute these girls.
She revealed that she feels more empowered after sharing this.
It is liberating, it’s empowering and it’s not the end of the world. I only felt hesitant as long as I hadn’t told anyone. The more people I tell, the more power I feel. I do. That has been my direct experience in the case. I’ve done the thing I feared and I’ve taken the leap of faith. And you know what, it’s okay.
But things didn’t end there. Soon after the article started gaining attention, Ali’s band members Aqsa Ali and Kanza Munir took to social media to give out their side of the story.
Aqsa told her followers that she was shocked that Meesha could lie about something like this when there were so many people present in the room that could prove her wrong.
While Kanza told her version of the story, revealing that whatever interaction between Ali and Meesha took place in front of at least 10 people.
Naila Khan, the Marketing Director of Shaukat Khanum, the agency that organized a tour which Ali was part of to raise funds for a hospital has spoken up as well.
Felt disturbed reading that someone made an accusation about Ali Zafar at the SK fundraiser in Washington. I was there with him all along.
Meesha’s former manager, Fahad Rehman also spoke up telling us that he has known both Ali and Meesha before they became famous.
Many have accused Meesha of taking to social media to share pictures with Ali many times after the said incident. Moreover, a source revealed that at an after party Meesha asked him why he wasn’t talking to her and ignoring her while in he was in conversation with another model.
In between all the buzz and side picking on Twitter, another Pakistani artiste Momina Mustehsan put out a strong message saying offenders need to acknowledge their crime.
While Ali gave a statement denying all accusations mere hours after Meesha put out the tweet accusing him, he has kept his silence since then.