Tag: sexual harassment

  • LHC suspends court order directing FIR against Babar Azam

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday suspended a court order, directing the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to register a case against Pakistan skipper Babar Azam over a harassment allegation.

    In the petition, Azam’s lawyer told the court that the trial court did not listen to his client’s point of view. He added that his client was innocent and appealed to the court for justice.

    The LHC, while suspending the order, directed the FIA to submit its response in the case within two weeks and issued a notice to complainant Hameeza Mukhtar.

    In his petition, Azam’s lawyer also appealed that he was an international cricketer and the captain of the national cricket team in all three formats. It contended that the order passed by the sessions court was an “unreasoned, non-speaking order”.

    The court directed the complainant to present her stance in person or through her lawyer.

    The Pakistan team skipper had challenged an order by a sessions court, directing the FIA to register a case against him under the cybercrime law on the harassment complaint.

    Mukhtar, in her petition, had accused Azam and two women of harassing her and sending her death threats via WhatsApp through different mobile numbers.

    She said she was continuously blackmailed by the suspects, adding that they threatened to upload fake pictures of her on social media if she did not accept their demands.

    The FIA in its report filed with the court said the cricketer did not appear before the investigating officer; however, his elder brother appeared and sought time on behalf of the defendant to record a statement.

    “Since, a regular inquiry has been commenced with respect to the complaint of the petitioner. Thus, the respondent (FIA) is directed to proceed further with respect to registration of FIR against the culprits within the stipulated time after committing legal formalities,” the sessions court had said in the order.

    Earlier, Mukhtar levelled allegations of abortion and deceitful intercourse on the false assurance of marriage against the cricketer.

    She accused Azam of maintaining illicit relations and making false promises of marriage. She also alleged that she got pregnant in 2015 with Azam’s baby but on his wish, got it aborted. Later, they reportedly reconciled.

  • Meesha Shafi shuts down fake reports of being sentenced to three years jail

    Meesha Shafi has trashed and shut down fake news reports which stated that she is being “sentenced to 3 years in jail for falsely accusing Ali Zafar of sexual harassment”.

    “Another day, another campaign spreading false information,” wrote the singer on Twitter. “Speaking up is way more exhausting than being groped.”

    Meesha further said: “This is why we end up suffering in silence. Sending lots of love and solidarity to all who speak up. It’s hard!”

    Meesha’s lawyer Asad Jamal also trashed the reports saying that “no such verdict has been passed by [the] trial court in the frivolous criminal defamation case instituted by Ali Zafar.”

    According to a report published in Samaa News, the entire matter started when fake news claiming that Shafi has been given a three-year sentence in a defamation case filed by Zafar started flashing on different Indian media outlets.

    On March 12, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ)published an article titled ‘Pakistani Singer Faces Prosecution for Accusing Pop Star of Groping Her‘. The report explained how Meesha “set off the country’s most high-profile #MeToo debate when she accused a fellow pop star of groping her. And now she was being prosecuted on a criminal defamation charge and is facing possible prison time.”

    UK-based tabloid Daily Mail misinterpreted the article in WSJ and wrote a misleading and false headline, which the Indian media picked and ran without verification. It is pertinent to add here that Zafar is a well-known name in India as he has worked in several successful Bollywood films.

    Later, Meesha also shared how she deals with “propaganda, abuse and false information”, detailing an hour-by-hour account of her day.

    Earlier, the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan approved Shafi’s harassment case against Ali Zafar for hearing, which meant that the SC granted permission to hear the appeal based on its legal points and will deliberate whether Shafi’s accusations of sexual harassment come under the workplace harassment law.

    Background of the case

    In 2018, Meesha first came forward with allegations of sexual harassment against Ali Zafar. She later filed a complaint with the provincial ombudsperson. After her appeal was rejected, she approached Governor Punjab, who upheld the ombudsperson’s decision. Meesha then challenged the Governor’s decision in Lahore High Court which again dismissed Meesha’s case for hearing on grounds that she did not have an employer-employee relationship with the accused.

  • Police bar female students from sitting in front passenger seats over harassment

    Police bar female students from sitting in front passenger seats over harassment

    After complaints of harassment, the Mansehra Traffic Police has barred female students from sitting in the front passenger seats of the public transport across the district.

    According to Express Tribune, the ban was imposed by the police in a bid to curb harassment. The women were subjected to harassment by the drivers as the front section of the Suzuki vans and pick-ups is entirely detached from the rear part of the vehicle.

    The windows in the front are also tainted and the driver could get away with harassment. The traffic police warned that cases could be registered against the public transporters if the ban was violated.

    Last month, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had announced the formation of district protection committees (DPC) for swift implementation of harassment law across the province, according to APP. These committees would be headed by a woman Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) to resolve disputes related to domestic violence or harassment at workplaces.

    In January last year, the provincial assembly had passed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace (Amendment) Bill, 2020, targeting the incidents of workplace harassment.

    In case, parties did not agree to the proposed solutions, the case would be referred to District Sessions Judge or Additional District Sessions Judge to decide it within two months. And if any party did not agree with the court’s judgment then appeals against such decisions could be filed in the Peshawar High Court (PHC).

    Under the new act, up to five years of prison time and a penalty or both could be handed. The court can also pass an interim order in such cases.  One-year imprisonment and up to Rs0.3 million fine could be handed in case of violation of the court orders.

  • VIDEO: Did woman who accused Babar Azam of harassment really drop charges?

    VIDEO: Did woman who accused Babar Azam of harassment really drop charges?

    A woman who had accused Pakistan cricket team skipper Babar Azam of sexual and financial abuse has allegedly signed an affidavit, saying that allegations levelled against Babar Azam were “baseless”, an undated video suggested on Friday.

    In the video, the woman — who claimed to be Azam’s ex-girlfriend — can be seen signing an affidavit. The lawyer representing Babar Azam to confirm that she didn’t know Babar Azam and that she accused him of sexual misconduct at the behest of “some friends”.

    But did that really happen?

    Well, some say the undated video is two years old and it was being shared at this time to influence the trial. A Facebook page of a journalist shared audio messages of the woman, wherein she said that the video was two-year old and was being used by Azam to “blackmail her”.

    She said she did reach a settlement with Babar Azam in 2018, but in return, Babar had promised to marry her. This video has also been submitted in the court by Babar Azam, but the judge raised questions on its admissibility, she added.

    On Thursday, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had also summoned Babar Azam.

    CASE AGAINST BABAR:

    In December 2020, police had given a clean chit to Babar in the harassment case. According to reports, Additional Sessions Judge Nauman Naeem had taken up the petition of Hamiza Mukhtar against the Pakistani skipper.

    The hearing had come after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Director of Media and Communications Samiul Hassan said that the sexual violence allegations against skipper Babar were a personal matter and the board could not comment on it.

    According to Jang, the board’s spokesperson was responding to a question posed by the Urdu daily after a damning press conference by one Hamiza of Lahore, who claims to be Babar’s schoolfellow and neighbour.

    Addressing the presser, the woman had claimed that the young cricketer tricked her into love and marriage.

    “When I asked him to marry me, he tortured me,” she said.

    Hamiza said that she had financially supported Babar when he was struggling with his career, adding that she spent millions of rupees on him.

    “When I called the PCB to lodge a complaint, they said that it was a personal matter,” she continued.

    During the proceedings in the sessions court, the counsel of the petitioner sought time to submit documents in the court and said that the entire case was based on medical reports.

    Azam’s counsel, Barrister Harris Azmat, while requesting the court to reject the petitioner’s plea, said that Azam was a national cricketer and hero, adding that Hamiza had started blackmailing the national cricket team captain in 2016 whereas the police had cleared him in an investigation.

    Police also submitted an investigation report in the court, as per which the national cricketer was found innocent and the woman was leveling baseless allegations.

    “The court should reject the petitioner’s plea,” he had said.

    Barrister Azmat said that Azam’s case was being covered by Indian media and the woman may have targeted the national cricketer once again at the behest of someone.

  • Kohat woman accuses KP lawmaker of harassment

    Kohat woman accuses KP lawmaker of harassment

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister’s aide Ziaullah Bangash has been accused of sexual harassment by a woman hailing from Kohat.

    According to The News, the woman urged the prime minister to take notice of the incident in a video posted on social media.

    On the other hand, Bangash, who is the CM’s aide on information technology, denied the allegations levelled by the woman and also sent a legal notice to Rahatul Ain.

    The newspaper quoted an official report over the episode which revealed that the “Rahat ul Ain, wife of Muhammad Ishfaq…alleged in her video that Ziaullah Bangash was harassing her”.

    The report said that Rahat had worked with Bangash in an NGO [non-government organisation] about 10 years ago and both allegedly had “good relations”. However, Bangash started ghosting the woman after becoming an MPA in 2013.

    Bangash had also promised Rahat a job but failed to fulfill his promise, it claimed. The woman, subsequently, started making these allegations against Bangash, it reported. It says Bangash stayed away from the said woman after the 2013 elections.

    Meanwhile, Bangash has sent a notice to Rahat through his counsel for bringing “disgrace” to his name.

    The notice said that “Ziaullah Bangash does not even know the woman”. It claimed that the woman had hurled similar allegations in 2018, but Bangash was proved innocent after an inquiry by the Kohat DPO.

    “The sole purpose of the video was to damage my client’s reputation,” said the lawmaker’s lawyer, asking the woman to issue an apology.

    “You are informed by this notice that you should pay 50 million as defamation to my client within seven days and deny your allegations by apologizing in writing as well as in a video message from your social media account. Otherwise, a claim will be filed against you in the court of law,” the notice quoted by The News read.

  • SC approves Meesha Shafi’s workplace harassment case for hearing

    The Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan on Monday approved Meesha Shafi’s harassment case against Ali Zafar for hearing. As per details, Pakistan’s top court granted leave to Shafi in her harassment case against Ali Zafar. This means that the SC has granted permission to hear the appeal based on its legal points and will deliberate whether Shafi’s accusations of sexual harassment come under the workplace harassment law.

    Furthermore, notices were issued to respondents Zafar and the Punjab Government by a three-judge bench of the apex court led by Justice Mushir Alam.

    Meesha explained that the legal issue has never before been decided by the SC.

    Meesha was represented by senior lawyer Khawaja Ahmad Hosain and Noor Ejaz Chaudhry.

    The singer’s appeal was earlier rejected by the Lahore High Court (LHC) and Punjab ombudsperson, who ruled that her allegations did not come under the workplace harassment law.

    On Sunday, Meesha had informed her fans and followers that the Supreme Court was to hear her appeal on whether a ‘self-employed person’ has the “right, as per the law, to be heard after being harassed and therefore expect justice on merit as an equal citizen”. She had thanked her well-wishers for standing by her and for making her feel “less alone”.

    Read more – ‘You don’t want change’: Meesha Shafi condemns critics of #MeToo

    Meanwhile, Twitter lauded the SC’s order, terming it a landmark move.

    https://twitter.com/aloofmaybe/status/1348565712260878338
    https://twitter.com/sobhagadi/status/1348564367814623233

    Background of the case

    In 2018, Meesha first came forward with allegations of sexual harassment against Ali Zafar. She later filed a complaint with the provincial ombudsperson. After her appeal was rejected, she approached Governor Punjab, who upheld the ombudsperson’s decision. Meesha then challenged the Governor’s decision in Lahore High Court which again dismissed Meesha’s case for hearing on grounds that she did not have an employer-employee relationship with the accused.

  • Fahad Mustafa says ‘Dunk’ is a tribute to victims of false allegations of sexual harassment

    Fahad Mustafa, in a recent interview, shared that the plot of Dunk revolves around false accusations of sexual harassment. Starring Bilal Abbas Khan, Sana Javed and Naumaan Ejaz, Dunk premiered on ARY Digital Wednesday night.

    Talking about why he decided to produce this drama, Fahad said: “95% cases of sexual harassment are genuine but in some cases, people are falsely accused, so we have to tell every kind of story.”

    “We [Big Bang Productions] have always tried to show different kinds of stories,” said Fahad. “We also made a drama Meri Guriya which told the story of [the rape victim] Zainab.”

    “As producer it is my responsibility to tell every kind of story and I believe people will enjoy watching this drama,” added Fahad.

    The actor-producer further said that his new drama depicts reality very closely and that Dunk “is a tribute to every victim who has been falsely accused of sexual harassment”.

    When asked about his opinion regarding Meesha Shafi’s harassment case against Ali Zafar, Fahad said: “I do not know much details about the case, but all I know is that Ali has suffered a lot at professional front, it Is a huge lose for Ali and his family.”

    Mustafa went onto say: “I think, brands should set an example by working with the people who have been falsely accused of sexual harassment.”

    Dunk had earlier stirred controversy for its problematic presentation of harassment in universities in the promos.

    The drama serial features, Bilal Abbas Khan, Sana Javed, Shahood Alvi, Fahad Sheikh, Tara Mahmood, Saifi Hassan, Salma Hassan, Kanwal Khan, Noman Ejaz, and Azekah Daniel. Written by Mohsin Ali Shah Dunk has been directed by Badar Mehmood.

  • Police give clean chit to Babar Azam in harassment case

    Police give clean chit to Babar Azam in harassment case

    Police have given a clean chit to Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam in the harassment case against him.

    According to reports, Additional Sessions Judge Nauman Naeem had taken up the petition of a woman, namely Hameeza Mukhtar, against the Pakistani skipper.

    During the proceedings, the counsel of the petitioner sought time to submit documents in the court and said that the entire case was based on medical reports.

    Azam’s counsel, Barrister Harris Azmat, while requesting the court to reject the petitioner’s plea, said that Azam was a national cricketer and hero, adding that Hameeza had started blackmailing the national cricket team captain in 2016 whereas the police had cleared him in an investigation.

    Police also submitted an investigation report in the court, as per which the national cricketer was found innocent and the woman was levelling baseless allegations.

    “The court should reject the petitioner’s plea,” he said.

    Barrister Azmat said that Azam’s case was being covered by Indian media and the woman may have targeted the national cricketer once again at the behest of someone.

    The court adjourned the case after summoning petitioner Hameeza Mukhtar’s counsel on December 15 (today) for final arguments.

  • Ayesha Omar gets emotional as she recounts opening up about sexual harassment

    Ayesha Omar gets emotional as she recounts opening up about sexual harassment

    Ayesha Omar, in a recent interview with Waseem Badami, opened up about being sexually harassed at the age of 22 by a powerful person in the industry. The actor has shared her experience of being harassed on several occasions but has never named her perpetrator. However, while recounting the experience on Badami’s Masoomana Sawaal, Ayesha got emotional and started crying on live television.

    During the interview, the actor said that she has never cried while talking about this incident before.

    “Maybe it was your question,” said Ayesha, while explaining why she felt emotional.

    “Nobody said it was easy,” said Ayesha later, in an Instagram post, while referring to the interview.

    “Not sure if I’ve ever cried on live television before,” said the actor. “To be able to let your guard down and be vulnerable…to be able to talk about your painful, difficult experiences from an honest place…to relive and recall traumatic times…to describe your feelings and talk to your younger self…it’s not easy.”

    “It’s not even easy doing it one on one with someone trained to ask the right questions, in private, let alone publicly on live television,” she continued. “But I hope by doing so, I was able to make other humans who have had painful experiences or faced sexual/verbal/physical harassment at any point in their lives, feel a little less alone and a little more hopeful…to try to let go of self-blame and self-deprecation and hold their perpetrators responsible.”

    Read more – Ayesha Omar opens up about her childhood struggles

    On the show, Ayesha, while sharing her experience, had said: “I had just joined the industry, I was hardly 22 years old. He was a man in power and I was scared to go against him. I did not have the courage to tell anyone about it. I’m sorry about that.”

    “I am sorry to the person I was; had I shared it then, I would have been a stronger person today. A lot of other girls also suffered at the hands of the same person. Had I spoken up against him then, maybe he might have stopped.”

    Meanwhile, fellow female stars supported her in the comment section of her post.

  • Bank official fired, arrested after sexual harassment video goes viral

    Bank official fired, arrested after sexual harassment video goes viral

    A private bank official, who was caught harassing a woman on camera has been arrested and removed from his position following a backlash on social media prompted by the video of the incident.

    In a video that went viral on social media, the bank official was seen harassing a woman. The video had prompted a strong response, with people asking the government to initiate action against the bank official.

    Subsequently, Usman Gohar, who is a credit initiation unit manager at a private bank in F-10 Markaz, was issued a “letter of dismissal” from service, confirmed Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari in a tweet.

    Islamabad DC Hamza Shafqaat said Gohar has been dismissed from service by the bank over harassment. “He cannot be hired by any other bank as per State Bank regulations,” he added.

    Following the arrest, the deputy inspector-general of police for operations had noted that “further legal action [was] being taken”.

    Faysal Bank also issued a clarification, distancing itself from the official. Usman Gohar “has been terminated effective immediately” but stressed that though an employee, he was not a branch manager.

    In the statement, the bank termed the harassment an “individual act” that goes against the standards set by the bank.