The Supreme Court of Pakistan has taken up actress Meesha Shafi’s petition for a preliminary hearing against the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) decision in the sexual harassment case.
A three-member of the apex court, led by Justice Mushir Alam, notified respondents Ali Zafar and Advocate General Punjab.
Delighted with the development, Meesha announced it on Twitter.
“Tomorrow, the Supreme Court of Pakistan hears my appeal on whether I, a ‘self-employed person’ have a right, as per the law, to be heard after being harassed and therefore expect justice on merit as an equal citizen.
If ruled in my favor, this will be a landmark judgment in the history of Pakistan, determining those that are self-employed, as having the same rights to complain and seek justice as any other,” she added.
Backgrounder
It all started in 2018 when Meesha had filed a complaint with the provincial ombudsperson under Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2010, accusing Zafar of harassment. The complaint was rejected on technical grounds because Shafi and Zafar “did not have an employer-employee relationship.” Therefore, the case could not be heard on that platform.
Misha Shafi then appealed to the Governor of Punjab, who according to Meesha’s legal team, was the competent authority to overturn the decision. To her dissent, the Punjab governor upheld Ombudsman’s decision in July 2018.
She then moved to the LHC against the Ombudsman’s decision, but the high court also endorsed the decision.
In return, Ali Zafar sued the singer for running an organized smearing campaign against her on social media without proving a single accusation she made against him. The case has been lingering for nearly two years now and the actress has stopped attending the hearing.
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