A sessions court on Monday recorded the statement of Ali Zafar in a defamation case filed by him against fellow artist Meesha Shafi.
Shafi had last year accused Zafar of harassing her "on more than two occasions". In response, Zafar had filed a defamation suit against her, saying that her "baseless and unfounded" accusations had allegedly tarnished his reputation. Zafar's legal team has so far produced nine witnesses who have testified in the singer's favour.
In his testimony today, Zafar said that Shafi's allegations had caused him "emotional and financial damage". He added that he was "surprised" when he found out that Shafi had accused him of harassment.
"I asked that I be told when and where I harassed Meesha Shafi," he said.
"I sent a legal notice to Meesha Shafi immediately after she accused me [of harassment] and demanded an apology," Zafar told the court. He also submitted records of messages that he claimed were sent to him by Shafi, along with the tweets posted on her account.
Zafar claimed that before accusing him publicly, Shafi had sent him a message through her manager Rizwan Raees, telling him to "stay away from Pepsi Battle of the Bands". Shafi is one of the judges in the television contest.
Zafar alleged that Raees had told him that Shafi "will not be alone in her accusing the singer of harassment and has many supporters".
"Meesha Shafi said that she will start a movement with her allegations," Zafar said.
He informed the court that his parents are both teachers and had "brought him up properly despite financial strains". He further said that he had started his career as a sketch artist in a hotel lobby and began working as a musician in 2003. He had worked hard to become a successful artist, he said.
He further said that he also worked in the Bollywood industry, with prominent artists like Katrina Kaif.
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