Opposition leader ordered to pay Rs3mn to Punjab minister in defamation case

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.

‘Right to disagree is the strength of democracy’
In his reaction to the verdict, the opposition leader said: “My voice cannot be suppressed through damages, and the voice I raise in support of public rights, the supremacy of the Constitution and Imran Khan cannot be silenced.

“This verdict ordering me to pay damages raises serious questions about freedom of expression and democratic values. If speaking up for the rights of the people and demanding answers from those in power becomes such a grave offence that an attempt is made to impose damages worth millions of rupees, then this is not merely an issue concerning one individual, but one that affects democracy as a whole and the right to dissent.

“Remember, the right to disagree is the strength of democracy, not its weakness. Attempting to respond to criticism through damages cannot prove a viewpoint wrong,” he wrote in a post on X.