Pressure mounted yesterday against Pakistani singer Ali Zafar after he was hit with a sexual harassment allegation by a leading actress in the first high profile “#MeToo” accusation.
The allegations were trending across social media in Pakistan after popular actress Meesha Shafi posted a lengthy message on Twitter, accusing Zafar of physically harassing her on “more than one occasion”.
“Today, I speak up because my conscience does not allow me to be silent anymore,” she said in a statement posted on the social media website, adding that if this could happen to an established artist like her then it could happen to any young woman hoping to enter the industry.
“I have been subjected, on more than one occasion, to sexual harassment of a physical nature at the hands of a colleague from my industry: Ali Zafar.
“These incidences did not happen when I was young, or just entering the industry.
“This happened to me despite the fact that I am an empowered, accomplished woman who is known for speaking her mind! This happened to me as a mother of two children,” she claimed.
Shafi is a prominent figure in the entertainment industry.
She has featured prominently in Coke Studio and movies like The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
Zafar is known widely for musical tracks like Channo and Rockstar along with roles in Bollywood films such as Tere Bin Laden and Kill Dil.
He is also a regular fixture on Coke Studio.
While several Pakistani celebrities have come forward to reveal their childhood experiences of sexual abuse as part of the #MeToo movement, Shafi’s statement is the first instance of a Pakistani entertainer publicly calling out a peer for sexual misconduct.
Shafi said that when the incident happened, the first person she informed was her husband.
“Shortly after that I spoke about this incident to someone on my team, and one of my friends,” she said, adding that it shouldn’t be this difficult to speak out when one was right.
“As parents, we tell our children to speak up if somebody touches them inappropriately and that it is never their fault. So why is it this hard to do the same?” she said. “One shouldn’t have to be this brave to report sexual misconduct. I’ve had support around me, I consider myself an empowered woman, and I still had such a hard time with this decision.”
Her mother, actress Saba Hamid, said she supported her daughter’s decision to go public.
“I am hurt and angry and I feel very strongly about this. That this can happen with someone like Meesha who is so empowered is a rude awakening,” she said.
However, in a tweet Zafar denied the allegations and said he would take Shafi to court.
In a statement shared on his Twitter account, he said that he was deeply aware and in support of the global #MeToo movement and what it stood for.
“I have nothing to hide. Silence is absolutely not an option. I categorically deny any and all claims of harassment lodged against me by Shafi. I intend to take this through the courts of law ultimately I am a strong believer that the truth always prevails.”
Following the accusation, other high-profile voices were quick to lend their support.
“No woman goes public with allegations like this just for fun. Obviously you spend no time listening to women when they talk about how widespread harassment is in our society,” tweeted Pakistani novelist and columnist Bina Shah.
The #MeToo and #TimesUp campaigns have gone global since allegations of sexual misconduct by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein were published last October, sparking an avalanche of accusations against other powerful men.
However, the movement has been slow to catch on in Pakistan, where women have fought for their rights for years in a patriarchal society where so-called “honour” killings and attacks on women remain commonplace.
In a report released earlier this week by watchdog Human Rights Commission Pakistan, the group said violence against women remained troubling, with 5,660 related crimes reported in the country’s four provinces in the first 10 months of 2017.
In August, firebrand opposition leader Imran Khan was also hit with allegations of sexual misconduct by a female lawmaker who accused the famed cricketer of sending obscene text messages and promoting a culture of sexism within his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
He has denied the allegations.
Zafar (right) has rejected the allegations by Shafi
