Singer Meesha Shafi wants name removed from LSAs' Best Song nominees
April 23, 2019
Actress and singer Meesha Shafi on Tuesday requested that her name be withdrawn from the nominations of the Lux Style Awards' upcoming season, becoming the fourth candidate to do so, as contenders one after the other reject the show in solidarity with the survivors of sexual abuse and misconduct.
“I would kindly request that my name and work be removed from the list of nominees,” she tweeted. Her song, “Mein”, had been selected for a win at this year’s LSA.
In her tweet, Shafi added: “I want to thank Eman Suleman. What she, Generation and Saima Bargfrede, have said and done is what I consider my award.”
It was noteworthy that in her post, Shafi, a champion of women's rights, further wrote: “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.
"With brave women like these, I feel optimistic about getting there one day,” the singer added.
Suleman, the model, was the first person to distance herself from the LSAs this year, saying she was "tired of talking about it" and that she did "not wish to be part of an accolade that is shared with an alleged harasser".
Generation and Saima Bargfrede followed suit on Monday, explaining in a statement they published on their social media accounts that they had done so owing to the inclusion of the "nomination for an individual who faces serious and credible accusations of sexual harassment".
