ISLAMABAD: On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of Pakistan allowed Meesha Shafi’s lawyers to cross-examine Zafar’s witnesses in one go, setting aside an earlier order by the Lahore High Court.
Against the LHC order, a two-member bench of the apex court led by Justice Mushir Alam heard the petition by Shafi in the defamation case filed by Zafar, after she alleged last year that she had been sexually harassed by Zafar. He alleged that she was damaging his reputation via false accusations.
The Supreme Court directed Zafar’s counsel to submit affidavits of the remaining witnesses within seven days, after which, Shafi’s lawyers will question all nine of them in one go.
In case it is not done today, the same will be done tomorrow.
Shafi’s petition pledged that cross-examination was her basic prerogative, thus nullifying LHC decision.
Shafi’s counsel Nighat Dad replied to a news channel that her client “wants a fair and reasonable opportunity to cross-examine, context and challenge Ali Zafar’s evidence and witnesses, which was denied by the trial court and high court.”
The petition, first submitted on April 12 against the LHC, had been rejected by the trial court and then the LHC.
Shafi had “challenged the trial court’s decision to allow Ali Zafar to produce his witnesses in a certain manner and directing her lawyers to cross-examine them immediately after the witnesses record their statement thereby denying Meesha’s lawyers a reasonable opportunity to cross-examine them properly”.
