Just recently fake news emerged that Meesha Shafi has been convicted in the defamation case against her filed by Ali Zafar. Based on numerous Indian publications the songstress has been sentenced to three years in prison.
The Teefa in Trouble actor had filed a defamation lawsuit against the singer after her sexual harassment lawsuit against Ali Zafar became the most high profile #MeToo case in Pakistan.
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However, no Pakistani court has issued such a verdict or ruling. As Meesha Shafi’s lawyer clarified, the defamation case in question is still undergoing trial in the court. He added that none of those accused by Ali Zafar has been convicted. He explained;
“It is being incorrectly reported that ‘a Pakistani court has awarded three years imprisonment to my client Meesha Shafi for causing irreparable damage to Ali Zafar’s career thanks to the false allegations.'”
He further lamented how the ‘news media have jumped to spreading the fake news.’ He called out the irresponsible journalism in that case.
This is with ref to the fake news claiming that my client Meesha Shafi has been sentenced to 3 yrs imprisonment.
No such verdict has been passed by trial court in the frivolous criminal defamation case instituted by Ali Zafar against several women.
Read complete statement below pic.twitter.com/49vRSXtvFe— Asad Jamal (@LegalPolitical) March 15, 2021
Then what sparked the rumors? Several Indian news outlets such as Times of India and IBTimes reported that a Pakistan court has handed a three-year sentence to Meesha Shafi.
Indian publications were running the news when no Pakistani outlet had even heard of this development. It all started with DailyMail’s poor attempt at data journalism. The British tabloid quoted a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published on March 12th titled ‘Pakistani Singer Faces Prosecution for Accusing Pop Star of Groping Her.’
WSJ explained how the #MeToo debate set off in Pakistan after the Gal Sunn singer accused a fellow pop star of groping her. This was followed by a consequent defamation case Ali Zafar filed against her. WSJ explained that if convicted in the criminal defamation charges, the songstress is looking at possible prison time.
When the DailyMail ‘quoted’ the WSJ report they ended up claiming ‘Meesha faces three years in jail’. Which then led India’s publications to further sensationalize the news claiming the singer has been handed a three-year sentence.
India’s IBtimes and Times of India reported that Meesha was given a three-year sentence, while ZeeNews reported that she faces three years in jail. ZeeNews quoted MailOnline/DailyMail, while Times of India quoted ‘a report’.
Daily Mail sparked the confusion by omitting integral information in its headline;
“If convicted, she could be sentenced to up to three years in prison,”
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Recently, the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) approved Meesha’s workplace harassment case against Ali Zafar for a hearing in January. Previously, the Lahore High Court (LHC) and Punjab ombudsperson had rejected Meesha’s appeals on the grounds that the alleged harassment was not covered by the workplace harassment law.
The court issued notices to Ali Zafar and the Punjab government. The judges ruled that the points raised in the case must be examined by the court. The suo motu notice taken to define sexual harassment was clubbed with the case. The hearing was adjourned indefinitely.
