Meesha Shafi reveals why she deactivated her social media accounts

A couple of weeks after Meesha Shafi alleged that Ali Zafar sexually harassed her, the singer has deactivated her Facebook and Instagram accounts.

The Speaker Phaar singer has faced cyber bullying after she accused Ali of "sexual harassment of a physical nature", in light of which, Meesha tells Images, she decided to close down all her social media accounts save for Twitter.

Images: You seem to have closed down your Instagram and Facebook accounts. Could you tell us why?

Meesha Shafi: They have been deactivated for very obvious reasons, one would think. The abuse, threats, bullying and slander that I have faced is the reason I felt the strong need to protect not just myself but my family, especially my two young children who were also being subjected to personal attacks online.

Also read: So OKB is the only celebrity who has something to say about the #MeToo movement in Pakistan

Images: Though some people from the entertainment industry have chosen to voice their support for victims of harassment, most have stayed silent. Why do you think this is? How does this make you feel?

Meesha: Believe me, I now know what it takes to speak the truth. And to expect the same from anyone would be expecting too much, it seems. The silence has been hurtful, no doubt. But I chose to stand up alone, and I’m not judging anyone.

Images: There have been a lot of rumours about you floating around on social media. Which rumour are you most surprised by?

Meesha: I don’t pay heed to rumours. The slanderous campaign against me has set back the progress of women speaking up and speaking out by hundreds of years. I don’t have some PR mechanism to counter rumours with rumours, slander with slander, trolling with more trolling. All I have with me is the truth. And I believe the truth is a very powerful thing.

Also read: More women step forward to accuse Ali Zafar of sexual harassment

It’s very easy to malign a woman, but all this orchestrated noise against me is designed to take the focus away from other crucial facts. Such as, all the other women who spoke up. By making an example of me, this propaganda is showing women that they should stay silent.

Images: Have you been in touch with Ali Zafar and his team? What's next for you on that front?

Meesha: I have left this side of things to the experts in the legal field that I have engaged.