More women open up about Ali Zafar’s sexual harassment claims

After Meesha Shafi went public about sexual allegations against Ali Zafar, it seems other women have also now started opening up.

Make-up artist Leena Ghani thanked Shafi for her courage to speak out about the claims. She said, “Seeing Meesha’s courage it’s impossible for me to not speak now, not only in support of her but also to say she’s not alone. In the many years I have known Ali, he has on several occasions crossed boundaries of what is appropriate behaviour between friends.”

She continued, “His behaviour displays a clear lack of respect for women. Inappropriate contact, groping, sexual comments should not fall in the grey area between humour and indecency. Comments that would make your skin crawl and make you feel objectified are not to be reduced to ‘a joke’ such behaviours can leave women feeling embarrassed, small and reduced to the level of entertainment at the hands of a woman. In such cases, women like myself run from a situation and hope to God you never cross paths again. And when by some misfortune you do, you hide from him. Hoping that his sleazy eyes and hands don’t find you again. His hands don’t make their way up and down your waist or hold you too tight while you desperately try to wiggle and run,” she wrote.

Leena continued, “Today I speak out because of recent events between Meesha and Ali and today I have to find the courage to say she isn’t and has not been alone.”

“The memories of the times when Ali thought he could get away by saying vulgar things still disgust me,” she wrote.

Zafar has denied the allegations.