The Ali Zafar-Meesha Shafi courtroom saga has seen quite a few developments recently, with Meesha filing a claim of Rs 2 billion for alleged defamation by Ali Zafar courtesy the various allegations he leveled against her. In the latest twist to the neverending legal drama, the Jugni crooner introduced her mother Saba Hameed, who is an acclaimed actress in her own right, to testify as a defendant on her behalf.

According to reports, Saba Hameed described in court the moment when Meesha first confided in her about the incidents of alleged sexual harassment, about two weeks prior to going public. “I didn’t tell her (Meesha) to go public with the accusations, I told her to take her own decision,” she said. “I informed her about the positive and negative outcomes of going public with the accusations.” Saba also added that after being subject to Ali’s inappropriate overtures thrice and seeing a pattern of behavior, Meesha had decided to avoid being around Ali Zafar altogether.

‘Women outing harassers lose work’

The Punjab Nahi Jaungi actress, who is also a Pride of Performance recipient, also recounted her own experiences with harassment in the industry and said that she empathized with Meesha and why her daughter did not immediately speak about her experiences. “I think it was because she was embarrassed,” she said. “Usually, women in Pakistan don’t talk about getting harassed.” She also added that women within the industry do not want to talk about harassment out of the fear of losing work and being labeled “trouble makers.”

Saba summed up her testimony by stating that her daughter had nothing at all to gain by going public with her harassment allegations against Ali Zafar, rather, she had suffered immensely in many different ways.