'We are not accepting defeat': Meesha Shafi's mother breaks silence in Ali Zafar case

Ali Zafar and Meesha Shafi are two of Pakistan’s most prominent musicians who have been involved in a scandal since 2018 following Shafi’s accusations of harassment against Zafar. On Wednesday, senior actor Saba Hameed, Shafi's mother, broke her silence regarding the case.  Hameed, who has been attending court proceedings on her daughter's behalf, said to reporters, “Listen, I cannot say much about the case here because the decision will be announced soon. But we have been fighting this for eight years, and we are not accepting defeat in this matter." Further, she questioned, "How can one speak with someone who has no respect for women? Although the allegations of harassment have been denied by Zafar's legal team, the pop star has since claimed the accusations are aimed at destroying his reputation and hurting his family. While Hameed spoke to the media, Zafar and his wife, Ayesha Fazli, were seen leaving the courtroom and getting into their car. Yesterday, Shafi approached a Lahore court seeking the dismissal of the defamation case filed against her by Zafar. During her final arguments, her lawyer, Saqib Jilani, stated that no concrete evidence had been presented to support Zafar’s defamation claims. He added that Shafi had provided evidence of multiple alleged harassment incidents and had consistently maintained her original statements. Jilani further noted that Zafar had attempted to resolve the matter privately before taking it public, but those efforts were unsuccessful. He argued that Shafi should not face punishment for speaking her truth. Previously, Zafar’s lawyer, Tariq Gill, claimed that Shafi’s allegations against the music star were false and had caused serious reputational harm, affecting Zafar’s career and personal life. Zafar is also seeking Rs1 billion in damages. The music stars have been close friends since their college days and even recorded the hit song Chal Dil Mere together.