Lahore court has ruled in favour of popular singer and actor Ali Zafar in a high-profile defamation case against fellow artist Meesha Shafi.
Additional Sessions Judge Asif Hayat announced the verdict on March 31, 2026. The court dismissed the sexual harassment allegations made by Meesha Shafi and ordered her to pay Rs 5 million (Rs 50 lakh) as damages to Ali Zafar.
The legal battle lasted eight long years and included 283 hearings. Nine different judges heard the case at different times due to transfers. The court recorded statements from 20 witnesses,13 presented by Ali Zafar and seven by Meesha Shafi.
The case began in April 2018 when Meesha Shafi publicly accused Ali Zafar of sexual harassment on social media. Her claims became one of Pakistan’s most talked-about cases linked to the #MeToo movement.
Ali Zafar strongly denied the allegations. In June 2018, he filed a defamation suit seeking Rs 1 billion in damages, saying the accusations had badly damaged his reputation and caused pain to his family.
Earlier, Meesha Shafi had filed a harassment complaint with the Punjab Ombudsperson, but it was dismissed because there was no employer-employee relationship between them. She also filed a counter-defamation suit against Ali Zafar in 2019.
During the trial, Ali Zafar’s lawyer argued that Meesha Shafi produced no evidence or witnesses to support her claims. Meesha Shafi’s side said harassment cases often lack direct witnesses, and her own testimony should be trusted.
The court found that the harassment allegations could not be proven. It decreed the defamation claim in Ali Zafar’s favour and imposed the Rs 5 million fine on Meesha Shafi.
This verdict ends a long and painful chapter for both artists. The case had drawn huge public attention in Pakistan’s entertainment industry.
