Overview
- Ali Zafar won his defamation suit on Tuesday as a Lahore sessions court ordered Meesha Shafi to pay Rs5 million and declared her harassment allegations unproven.
- The court’s detailed 159-page judgment, released Wednesday, permanently restrains Shafi from repeating the allegations on print, electronic or social media.
- The case ran nearly eight years with 283 hearings, testimony from 20 witnesses and nine judges presiding, reflecting the stop‑start pace of Pakistan’s trial courts.
- Zafar had sought Rs1 billion in 2018, but the court awarded general damages only and said special damages were not proved with reliable evidence.
- The verdict drew sharp criticism from some artists, including Iffat Omar, and is expected to fuel appeals and fresh debate over proof standards in harassment claims and the risks of speaking publicly.