Court awards Ahsan Iqbal Rs2.5m in defamation case

An Islamabad District and Sessions Court has ruled in favour of Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal in a long-running

An Islamabad District and Sessions Court has ruled in favour of Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal in a long-running defamation case against PTI leader Murad Saeed. The court ordered Murad Saeed to pay Rs2.5 million in damages for making allegations that were not proven during the proceedings.

Additional Sessions Judge Hakim Khan announced the verdict after hearing the case. The court held that Murad Saeed’s statements had damaged Ahsan Iqbal’s reputation and public image. It directed the PTI leader to compensate the federal minister with Rs2.5 million.

According to the judgment, Murad Saeed accused Ahsan Iqbal of being involved in corruption worth Rs70 billion. However, the court found that he failed to provide any evidence to support the allegations. The court ruled that the accusations of corruption, misuse of authority, and receiving illegal commissions were defamatory because they remained unsubstantiated.

The judgment stated that Ahsan Iqbal had initially sought Rs10 billion in damages for the alleged harm caused to his reputation. However, the court observed that the amount claimed was excessive in view of the evidence presented during the trial. It therefore awarded Rs2.5 million as reasonable compensation.

The court further observed that Murad Saeed’s controversial statements had harmed Ahsan Iqbal’s reputation, dignity, and credibility. It said the allegations created a negative impression of the minister among the public and directly targeted his honesty, integrity, and professional standing.

The judgment also noted that Murad Saeed neither appeared before the court during the proceedings nor submitted evidence to substantiate the corruption claims. The absence of supporting material, the court said, weakened his defence and left the allegations unproven.

The case originated from statements made by Murad Saeed in 2019 regarding the Multan-Sukkur Motorway project. At the time, he alleged that Ahsan Iqbal had committed corruption in connection with the project. After reviewing the evidence and hearing the arguments, the court concluded that the accusations were not established and therefore amounted to defamation.

The verdict marks the conclusion of the defamation proceedings, with the court reaffirming that public allegations of corruption must be backed by credible evidence.