Meesha Shafi issued notice

LAHORE: Singer Ali Zafar on Saturday submitted to sessions court a tweet of Meesha Shafi in which she announced her travel to Dubai for a music concert on November 28, 2021, requesting the court to dismiss her application for cross-examination through a video link from Canada.

The judge issued notice to Meesha Shafi and fixed the hearing on the application on November 29, 2021. Meesha Shafi had requested the court for her cross- examination through a video link in the defamation suit filed by Ali Zafar against her. She had claimed that she and her husband were residing in Canada and it was very difficult and impractical for them to travel to Pakistan due to travel costs and restrictions related to COVID-19.

Ali Zafar in his application stated, “The applicant, through this application, seeks to draw attention of this court to the fact that despite the respondent’s (Meesha Shafi) lame excuse of non - appearance in this court on the account of COVID - 19 and travel costs, she is stated by herself to be travelling to Dubai for a concert on 28.11.2021. The fact stands confirmed by her through her own tweet dated 25.11.2021 and different news articles.”

He further stated that now when admittedly the respondent (Shafi) is travelling all the way from Canada for a concert, her application seeking cross-examination through a video link on account of COVID-19 pandemic or travel costs holds no justification and was just being made a lame excuse.

The application mentioned, “Ali Zafar is willing to deposit the necessary travel expenses of the Meesha and her husband to travel to Pakistan for her cross-examination and as far as the question of travel ban due toCOVID - 19 is concerned , it was vehemently contended that no such travel ban now exists”. Zafar requested the court to dismiss Shafi’s plea for cross-examination through video link with special costs.