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Meesha Shafi rejects her Lux Style Awards nomination

"What Eman Suleman, Generation and Saima Bargfrede have said and done is what I consider my award," says the singer

Updated 23 Apr, 2019

Singer Meesha Shafi has asked the Lux Style Awards to remove her song 'Mein' from its list of Best Song nominations, a day after clothing brand Generation and makeup artist Saima Bargfrede announced their decision to withdraw from the award show as well.

The three nominees follow the example of emerging model Eman Suleman, who was the first to reject her nomination as a protest against the inclusion of an artist accused of sexual harassment in this year's Lux Style Awards nominations.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Meesha starts off with saying, "I want to thank Eman Suleman. What she, Generation and Saima Bargfrede have said and done is what I consider my award."

She goes on to say, "In a perfect world, I would love to see women retain their space in the industry while being safe, so that the cost of speaking up is minimized, or even done away with altogether. A cost which is all too high at present. Our boycotts should not overshadow our achievements. With brave women like these, I feel optimistic about getting there one day."

Also read: Meesha Shafi's 'Mein' is more than just a pop song

About her track nominated for Best Song, she elaborates, "'Mein' is a song about finding our true self. Being aligned with a higher purpose. Being our own hero and being enough. I wrote it at a particularly difficult time in my life. When I needed to be all those things."

She ends her note by saying, "'Mein' stands nominated for the best song at the Lux Style Awards 2019. The irony is not lost on me given the current circumstances and I would kindly request that my name and work be removed from the list of nominees."

In April 2018, Meesha accused Ali Zafar of sexual harassment, an allegation he has denied. The matter is currently in the courts. Ali Zafar has been nominated for Best Actor in this year's Lux Style Awards.

Comments

fairplay Apr 23, 2019 02:28pm

Good move, thanks.

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Aamir Apr 23, 2019 02:40pm

Misha claimed to have evidences against Ali zafar, it's been an year now and her lawyers have failed to present any... even though court has repeatedly asked for it!

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Ahmed Apr 23, 2019 04:13pm

i doubt any evidence can be provided of sexual harassment..... i think if a woman has come up to say it openly, there must have been some issue..... unless there is a 'mean woman'...... even to become a 'mean woman' there has to be a valid reason!

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Shahid Hanif Apr 23, 2019 05:07pm

Good decision.

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Z Apr 23, 2019 05:56pm

innocent until proven guilty? Just because party A accused Party B of xyz misconduct does not account for guilt. You cannot be Judge Jury and execution yourself. "Alleged" is not verdict of guilt.

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Shams Apr 23, 2019 07:18pm

Fully support boycott of harassers BUT this assertion that people's lives be destroyed based on a mere accusation is absurd. Why are we trying to bypass due process of law when it comes to harassment? Are we saying that a human is incapable of falsely/maliciously accusing someone when it comes to harassment?

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Mangoman Apr 23, 2019 07:46pm

Frankly, I dont know if stigmatization of an accused of a matter which is sub-judice is right or not. Its a very grey area. This is okay if the accused is convicted by the courts but what happens if the accused gets a favourable judgement from the courts? What then?

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Nadim Apr 23, 2019 08:29pm

@Ahmed in legal terms you are talking nonsens. Unless proven with evidence it remains an allegation. You cannot punish someone just because a woman said so. If we follow your advice then we should also charge Ik because Gulalai acuused him of sending inappropriate texts.

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Dr Imran Ahmed Apr 23, 2019 11:42pm

Respect for Meesha and for all the brave women out there who refuse to be intimidated or to be silenced.

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Faraz Apr 23, 2019 11:43pm

Either prove your allegation or withdraw it all together. Such antics will yield little or no results.

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Faraz Apr 23, 2019 11:44pm

@Ahmed Sorry but your argument is self defeating. Mean woman! what is that supposed to mean?

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Samrah Niazi Apr 24, 2019 12:24am

@Aamir how do you know?

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Shahid - Denmark Apr 24, 2019 01:33am

When the case is in the court and non is been convicted then Mesha and others who boycotted the award show have no true reason to do so. Lux can't just exclude someone because someone else accused that person.

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Sid Apr 24, 2019 03:44am

Good job Misha Shafi. Proud of you, you have to be brave. Good wishes from India.

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Mehkan Apr 24, 2019 03:56am

@Z I am actually surprised at your comment.. In this entire thing, the person who was trolled the most was Meesha. Every body talks about the life of innocent being destroyed by a false accusation. But people forget the other side, that until court decides even the accuser should not be harassed or called names, their life also gets destroyed. SO, either stay silent until verdict, or accept that people will take sides, and third remember to not start bashing and shaming and forming strong opinions against the party you are against. May truth and justice prevail!

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Tamza Apr 24, 2019 09:07am

An example of what needs to happen; freeze recognition BUT if accusation is found to be without basis then accuser MUST suffer some consequence.

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Akil Akhtar Apr 24, 2019 09:16am

I am sure everyone supports women in cases of any harassment...but without any evidence some women are becoming judge, jury and executioner......who is to say tomorrow we would not have women who would destroy a man just because they have an agenda.....

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RIHAAB FAREED DHARIWAL Apr 24, 2019 11:15am

Meesha's sorry saga has lingered on for way too long without any definitive conclusion to be made. Let's wait for the final verdict instead of speculating or casting aspersions on this woman's integrity.

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Salvi Apr 24, 2019 02:11pm

Good decision by these ladies! Sexual harrasment in all its forms must be condemned.

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Laila Apr 24, 2019 04:17pm

@Shahid - Denmark You are comparing Denmark with Pakistan. Dont. In pakistan our women are only now beginning to open up. It is mostly the elite as majority of Pakistanis arent as privileged and therefore more afraid of social stigma and being ostracized. In the West things are different. There is less victim blaming and no social stigma. So more are inclined to step forward. Let our women speak. Also just because there is not evidence does not mean the accused i innocent and the alleged crime didnt happen. It simply means there was not enough evidence to support the accusation. Being innocent and insufficient evidence are two very different things under law.

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Zulfiqar Apr 24, 2019 09:55pm

This bravery seems misplaced. She has had her chance in court and has not provided the proof. Of course it will be difficult to provide proof for this kind of an accusation, at the same time to boycott something that is unrelated to the person who you feel has wronged you is not really saying much about your judgement . You and all the people boycotting are confusing two things which are unrelated to each other.

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Dr. Sadaf Apr 24, 2019 11:16pm

@Ahmed , the valid reason is money and fame.

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Aamir Apr 24, 2019 11:51pm

@Samrah Niazi please Google it and you will see ample material available to follow how the case is proceeding and who's trying to delay the case proceedings.

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Aamir Apr 25, 2019 12:03am

@Samrah Niazi Google it and you will see enough material available to find out that who is trying to delay the case proceedings.

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Laila Apr 25, 2019 03:49am

Laxck of evidence does not mean he is not guilty. Lack of evidence and being proven innocent beyond reasonable doubt are two very different things - in the language of law. There is a distinction. Lack of evidence means you cant prove your case. It does not mean the accused isnt guilty. It just means there wasnt enough evidence to prove guilt. Also gathering evidence in cases of sexual harassment is difficult and rare. Do understand what harassment is and how harassers rarely do it in front of witnesses or while being recorded.

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Fortrahsmail Apr 25, 2019 08:46pm

Innocent until proven guilty unless its a woman who can make up any story she wants and we all have to believe her without a shred of evidence just because she is a woman.. yes sounds reasonable.

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Bilal Majeed Apr 25, 2019 10:58pm

@Ahmed but they've been cases of false accusations as well. Innocent until proven guilty, shouldn't that always be the way?

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Laila Apr 26, 2019 02:31am

@Dr. Sadaf Your theory may hold true in the West but in Pakistan women do not get fame or money. We have no concept of compensation even if abuse is proven. As for fame, any Pakistani woman can tell you that they dont get famous. Just look how you and others are treating Ms. Shafi. So what you mean is they get shamed, dishonoured and ridiculed. Pakistani women are conservative by nature and in cases of abuse or harassment they stay silent because the social stigma is real. They will be regarded as dishonourable and damaged goods who nobody wants to marry. Thats not fame.

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