Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Azma Bokhari won a defamation case against provincial assembly’s opposition leader Moeen Riaz Qureshi, with the Lahore Defamation Tribunal ordering him to pay Rs3 million in damages to the minister, a statement from the Directorate General Public Relations (DGPR) said on Tuesday.
As per the details, Bokhari had filed a defamation suit seeking Rs84 million in damages against Moeen Riaz Qureshi under the Defamation Act. The case was filed before the Lahore Defamation Tribunal over remarks made by Moeen Qureshi during a television programme.
In his remarks, Moeen Qureshi had alleged that Bokhari arranged for 150 to 200 paid individuals to enter the Punjab Assembly during the visit of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. He had also alleged that journalists who questioned KP CM were paid employees of Azma Bokhari.
Bokhari rejected the allegations as “entirely false, fabricated and a malicious” attempt to damage her reputation, subsequently initiating legal proceedings against Moeen Qureshi.
According to the tribunal, Moeen Qureshi himself acknowledged that he had made the statements in the television programme. The tribunal further observed that he had failed to produce evidence substantiating the allegations. His counsel also failed to establish, through their arguments, that Bokhari’s claim was unfounded.
The tribunal issued its short order in the case, while the detailed judgment will be announced later.