Ali Zafar's mother defends son amid sexual harassment allegations

LAHORE: Mother of Ali Zafar has come out in defense of her son amid growing allegations of sexual harassment saying the accusations will be dealt in court of law.

Talking to Geo News, Dr Kanwal Ameen, said that “a man also has a family just as a woman does. For me, both genders are equally respectable. Just like a woman, a man also has respect and dignity.”

Dr Ameen said that she doesn't want to speak more on this controversial matter in the media.

Singer Meesha Shafi on Thursday shocked Pakistan's entertainment industry with allegations of sexual harassment against popular actor Ali Zafar.

Following the accusation, other high-profile voices were quick to lend their support and it became a trending topic across social media.

Shafi posted a lengthy message on Twitter, accusing Zafar of physically harassing her on "more than one occasion".

"This happened to me despite the fact I am an empowered, accomplished woman who is known for speaking her mind!" read the statement.

Zafar denied the accusations, threatening legal action against the actress.

"I intend to take this through the courts of law, and to address this professionally and seriously rather than to lodge any accusations here," he wrote on Twitter.

Zafar has dominated the music charts in Pakistan for nearly two decades and has also starred in a number of films including Bollywood satire "Tere bin Laden" which translates as "Your Bin Laden".

The #MeToo and #Timesup campaigns have gone global since allegations of sexual misconduct by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein were published last October, sparking an avalanche of accusations against other powerful men.

However, the movement has been slow to catch on in Pakistan, where women have fought for their rights for years in a patriarchal society where so-called "honour" killings and attacks on women remain commonplace.

In a report released earlier this week by watchdog Human Rights Commission Pakistan, the group said violence against women remained troubling, with 5,660 related crimes reported in the country´s four provinces in the first 10 months of 2017.