Pakistani actor Arsalan Butt has responded to allegations made by actress Mamya Shahjafar, denying the claims and confirming that he has initiated legal proceedings against her.
The controversy began after Mamya appeared on Iffat Omar’s show, Say It All with Iffat Omar, where she spoke about an alleged incident involving a co-star she initially identified as “Arsalan Khan.” She described the person as a “thirsty man” and alleged that he made unsolicited comments about her weight and body. She further claimed that he reacted aggressively during a discussion about feminism and attempted to hug her despite her repeatedly saying “no.”
Following the interview, social media users initially assumed that Mamya was referring to actor Arsalan Khan, who is married to actress Hira Khan. Mamya later clarified that she was referring to Arsalan Butt, who has also appeared in the Hum TV drama Hadd.
Arsalan Butt has now addressed the allegations during an interview with Voice of Click Me Pakistan. He rejected Mamya’s claims, questioned why she had not taken legal action earlier and said the matter would now be decided in court.
Arsalan Butt said, “If the allegations were true, then she should have come in front of the media, she should have filed a complaint against me with the police, and made sure that she set an example out of me. The incident you are quoting to me is from a channel owned by a woman. Would she allow an abuser to work in her domain? Is that even possible? What is the evidence? If some kind of misadventure like this happened to a woman in your house, what would be your reaction? I will make sure the person does not see the sun the next day.
I won’t wait four years for a project or film of mine to come out just so I can cash in on it. With all due respect, this is a disgusting allegation against me, which makes absolutely no sense, and the person who has leveled this allegation against me will be answerable in court. I shouldn’t be able to talk much about this controversy because this matter has gone to court.
Sir, I have filed two cases against her. One is a complaint in the FIA, right? Whose hearing is about to begin. And the second is a defamation case; this has been filed in court. This is the exact question I ask them: Why me? Why is she speaking up after four years? Why didn’t she speak up before? Why did she stay quiet? Why did she remain silent? Why wasn’t legal action taken against me? This is exactly what I want to know from them.
The allegations remain disputed, and no court ruling has been announced. Both parties’ claims will be subject to the relevant legal proceedings.
