ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad has ruled in favor of Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal in a defamation lawsuit, ordering Murad Saeed to pay Rs2.5 million in damages.
The verdict was announced by Additional Sessions Judge Hakim Khan, who held that Murad Saeed’s allegations had harmed Ahsan Iqbal’s reputation.
According to the court’s decision, Murad Saeed failed to substantiate his allegations that Ahsan Iqbal was involved in Rs70 billion worth of corruption related to the Multan-Sukkur Motorway Project. The court held that the accusations of corruption, abuse of authority, and receiving illegal commissions constituted defamation.
The judgment noted that Ahsan Iqbal had originally sought Rs10 billion in damages. However, the court found that amount to be excessive in light of the available evidence and instead awarded Rs2.5 million as compensation.
The court further observed that the statements made by Murad Saeed adversely affected Ahsan Iqbal’s reputation, honor, and public standing, creating a negative perception of him among the general public.
According to the ruling, the allegations amounted to a direct attack on Ahsan Iqbal’s integrity, character, and credibility. The court also noted that Murad Saeed neither appeared before the court nor presented evidence to support his claims.
The defamation case stemmed from statements made by Murad Saeed in 2019, in which he accused Ahsan Iqbal of corruption in connection with the Multan-Sukkur Motorway Project. The court concluded that those allegations remained unproven and ruled in favor of the federal minister.
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