LAHORE: The manager of singer Meesha Shafi on Saturday admitted in his cross-examination that multinational brands continued working with her even after the allegations of sexual harassment she levelled in 2018 against fellow actor-cum-singer Ali Zafar.

“It is correct that after the allegation no multinational brand is working with the plaintiff (Zafar) but it is incorrect to say that only plaintiff’s work has suffered; in fact defendant’s work has also suffered,” said Syed Farhan Ali, a guitarist and manager of Shafi.

Zafar’s counsel Hasham Ahmad conducted the cross-examination of the guitarist who appeared before a sessions court as a witness of the female singer.

Responding to different queries of the counsel, the witness also admitted that a soft drink company kept working with Shafi and other brands also signed her after the allegations.

The manager said he did not know the exact amount which Shafi charged for Pepsi Battle of the Band Season 1 (2017) but as per his memory it should be around Rs15 million to Rs20m approximately. He said Shafi charged Rs.32.5m for season 2 (2018), around Rs15m for season 3 (2019), Rs3m for Velo Sound Station Season 1 (2020). His commission for all these events was between seven and 10pc, he added.

Ali said the jamming session held on Dec 21, 2017, was for approximately one hour and Shafi knew before coming to the session that on which songs they (Zafar and Shafi) had to rehearse. He admitted that nine members of the band were present in the jamming session including two [backing] female vocalists.

He maintained that during the jamming session the whole band remained in the room. He also reaffirmed that Shafi, after the concert on Dec 22, 2017, told him not to sign her at any future event with Zafar.

The manager said he did not ask why she did not want to work with the plaintiff and why she thought that the plaintiff was sleazy. He said it was correct that the possibility that all the instrument players were not focusing on the artists, during the jamming session, was rare but it was possible.

The witness said he did not see anything happening as alleged by Shafi, however, it might or might not have happened because he left the jamming room at least three times.

He said Shafi, after the jamming session, was disturbed and unhappy with the plaintiff and she also told him (witness) that the plaintiff made her uncomfortable.

The witness recalled he and Shafi were leaving the soft drink company office when a person informed them that the company had signed Zafar in the jury panel for Season 2.

“I did not remember the reaction of the defendant,” he said and added the same night the defendant informed him on phone that she was sexually harassed by the plaintiff in the past and did not want to work with him.

As the cross-examination was in progress, Additional District and Sessions Judge Azhar Iqbal Ranjha adjourned hearing till April 17.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2021