Summary An Islamabad court awarded Rs2.5 million in damages to Ahsan Iqbal after ruling Murad Saeed failed to prove corruption allegations.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – A district and sessions court in Islamabad has ruled in favour of Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal in a defamation case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former federal minister Murad Saeed, ordering the latter to pay Rs2.5 million in damages.
Additional Sessions Judge Hakim Khan accepted Ahsan Iqbal's defamation suit, holding that Murad Saeed had failed to substantiate his allegations that the minister was involved in Rs70 billion worth of corruption.
The court ruled that the allegations of corruption, abuse of authority and receiving illegal commissions amounted to defamation and had damaged Ahsan Iqbal's reputation, dignity and public standing.
According to the judgment, Ahsan Iqbal had sought Rs10 billion in damages, but the court found the amount excessive in light of the available evidence. However, it concluded that the disputed statements had harmed his credibility and honour.
The court further observed that the allegations created a negative public perception of Ahsan Iqbal and constituted a direct attack on his integrity, character and reputation.
The judgment also noted that Murad Saeed neither appeared before the court nor produced any evidence to support his claims.
The case stemmed from a 2019 press conference in which Murad Saeed, then serving as a federal minister, accused Ahsan Iqbal of corruption in the Multan-Sukkur Motorway project.
