Murad Saeed ordered to pay Rs2.5m in damages to Ahsan Iqbal over corruption allegations

A sessions court in Islamabad has ruled in favour of Federal Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal in a defamation suit against PTI leader Murad Saeed, ordering the latter to pay Rs2.5 million in damages.

According to a media report, Additional Sessions Judge Hakim Khan held that Murad Saeed failed to prove his allegations that Ahsan Iqbal was involved in alleged Rs70 billion corruption related to the Multan-Sukkur Motorway project.

The court ruled that the allegations of corruption, misuse of authority and receiving illegal commissions were defamatory and had damaged Ahsan Iqbal's reputation, honour and public standing.

According to the verdict, Ahsan Iqbal had sought Rs10 billion in damages, but the court found that amount excessive in light of the available evidence and awarded Rs2.5 million instead.

The judgment also noted that Murad Saeed neither appeared before the court nor produced evidence to support his allegations.

The defamation suit stemmed from statements made by Murad Saeed in 2019, accusing Ahsan Iqbal of corruption in the Multan-Sukkur Motorway project.