LAHORE: A sessions court on Saturday allowed one-time adjournment to the counsel for singer Meesha Shafi with a last warning to present her two witnesses for cross-examination in a defamation suit filed by fellow actor-cum-singer Ali Zafar.

The witnesses namely Leena Ghani and Farhan Ali were supposed to appear before the court as summoned on the last hearing.

However, Shafi’s counsel Saqib Jilani told the court on Saturday that Ali had been working with the ISPR for the upcoming event of March 23. He said the witness had not been allowed by the ISPR to leave the place.

About the absence of the other witness, the counsel said Ms Ghani being one of the organisers of the Aurat March received threats from various extremist organisations. He sought adjournments in writing on behalf of the two witnesses.

Zafar’s counsel Umar Gill opposed the applications saying the defendant had been trying to delay the proceedings.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Azhar Iqbal Ranjha noted that both parties had agreed on the previous hearing that the defendant would produce the witnesses for cross-examination but both were not present. The judge allowed the applications for one-day adjournment in the interest of justice, however, with a clear warning to the defendant to produce the witnesses on the next hearing.

“It is made clear that no further adjournment may be granted at any cost in this regard,” the judge wrote in the order and put off hearing till April 3. Senior actor Saba Hameed, the mother of Shafi, was present in court as a witness.

On the last hearing, the court was requested to permit cross- examination of Shafi and her husband through a video link as the couple was unable to travel to Pakistan from Canada due to Covid-19 pandemic. Shafi’s counsel is yet to submit a formal application in this regard as directed by the court.

Zafar filed the suit against the female singer allegedly for leveling false allegations of sexual harassment on him. Proceedings in a criminal case are also separately pending against Shafi and others allegedly for running a vilification campaign against Zafar on social media.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2021