Ali Zafar sexual harassment case: Defamation suit of 1 billion filed against Meesha Shafi

There's a fresh twist in the tale of Pakistani singer-turned-actor Ali Zafar's case of sexual harrasment, alleged by fellow musician Meesha Shafi. Ali Zafar on Saturday filed a defamation suit in a district court against his accuser. The lawsuit, claiming damages of PKR 1 billion, was filed under the Defamation Ordinance 2002, reported the Geo News.

The notice, sent by Zafar, said that Shafi damaged his reputation through false allegations. It read: "Be that as it may, that due to the defamatory campaign being spearheaded by the defendant, the plaintiff besides special damages in case of defamation further suffered the following damages: Mental torture 2 crores, loss of contacts 8 crores, loss of reputation/ goodwill 50 crores, loss of business opportunities 40 crores." 

Shafi had received a legal notice sent by Zafar's counsel earlier as well, which asked her to issue an apology on Twitter, failing which he would file a PKR 1 billion-defamation case against her. In a social media post, the 36-year-old had alleged that Zafar harassed her on multiple occasions and that "my conscience does not allow me to be silent anymore."

Zafar, a Pakistani singer-songwriter, has worked in several Bollywood films including 'Tere Bin Laden,' 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan,' 'Chashme Baddoor,' and 'Dear Zindagi.'