The UK High Court has issued a verdict in favor of Pakistani-Canadian pop star Meesha Shafi in a defamation case against New Vision TV (NVTV). The court determined that NVTV, the broadcaster of ARY UK, had made defamatory statements about Shafi in a December 2020 broadcast.

During a preliminary hearing, the court concluded that NVTV defamed Shafi by falsely claiming that she willfully failed to comply with court orders for over two years. The broadcast depicted Shafi as someone who consistently disregarded legal obligations imposed by the court.

In response to the judgment, Meesha Shafi, on her social media, stated, “London High Court passes judgment in my favor against ARY after they aired disinformation, slandering me & misleading people to believe I am running from Pakistan courts because they decided I am a liar instead of fact-checking.”

The court has set a deadline of January 26, 2024, for NVTV to submit its defense.

The controversial broadcast on December 5, 2020, presented news reports and tickers as evidence, making statements like, “She Meesha Shafi came to Pakistan, did her work and left. Singer Meesha Shafi threw the court orders to the winds. She came to Pakistan, recorded a song and then returned to Canada. She did not present herself in court. Ali Zafar has filed a defamation lawsuit against Meesha.”

Meesha Shafi, known for her #MeToo moment in Pakistan where she accused singer and actor Ali Zafar of physical sexual harassment in 2018, is currently facing a defamation case from Zafar. Despite the initial rejection of her case on technical grounds, the Supreme Court in 2021 agreed to hear her allegations under the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act of 2010.

Also Read: Meesha Shafi Finally Reveals What Actually Happened Between Her and Ali Zafar