Meesha Shafi challenges Rs5 million defamation ruling in Lahore High Court

Singer Meesha Shafi has filed an appeal in the Lahore High Court challenging a civil court’s decision that ordered her to pay Rs5 million in damages to singer and actor Ali Zafar in a defamation case linked to sexual harassment allegations.

The appeal, submitted through Advocate Saqib Jilani, argues that the trial court made legal and factual errors while deciding the case. It maintains that the defamation suit was decided while the underlying sexual harassment allegations raised by Shafi remain unresolved in higher forums, including a pending matter before the Supreme Court, which had granted leave to appeal in January 2021.

Shafi’s legal team contends that earlier proceedings before the ombudsperson, the governor, and the high court were dismissed on jurisdictional grounds rather than on merit. The appeal further argues that her original complaint was a lawful exercise of legal rights and should be protected under the doctrine of qualified privilege, which would negate defamation liability.

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The petition also claims that the trial court failed to properly assess evidence and did not apply the “preponderance of probabilities” standard correctly. It argues that Zafar did not meet the legal threshold under Section 3 of the Defamation Ordinance 2002, which requires proving that the statements were false.

Additionally, the appeal challenges the court’s interpretation of victim testimony in harassment cases, stating that it relied on stereotypical assumptions about victim behaviour. It also disputes the conclusion that continued professional or social interaction between the parties weakens allegations of harassment.

On March 31, 2026, an additional district and sessions judge ruled in favour of Ali Zafar, stating that Shafi failed to provide sufficient and reliable evidence to substantiate her allegations. The court ordered her to pay damages in the defamation case, which was originally filed by Zafar in 2018, seeking Rs1 billion in damages over reputational harm.