Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari wins defamation case against opposition leader Moeen Riaz Qureshi

Qureshi is liable to pay Rs3million in damages to Azma

LAHORE:

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Tuesday won a defamation case against Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Moeen Riaz Qureshi, with the court ruling that the latter pay Rs3 million in damages for accusing the minister in a television programme.

Azma had filed a case before the Punjab Defamation Tribunal under the Defamation Act, seeking Rs84 million in damages over Qureshi’s allegations concerning the visit of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) chief minister to the Punjab Assembly.

In a short order issued today, seen by The Express Tribune, the Punjab Defamation Tribunal in Lahore acknowledged that the counsel for both parties had concluded their final arguments.

It further outlined that Azma had won the case, resulting in an award of general damages.

"The claim of the plaintiff is hereby decreed up to the extent of general damages amounting to rupees three million (3,000,000/-)."

However, the tribunal dismissed the claim of "special and punitive damages" in its order.

Speaking to the media after the decision, Azma's counsel, Ali Bukhari, said the opposition leader had levelled false allegations against the provincial information minister but failed to substantiate them during the trial.

Read: Punjab Police did not arrest journalist Iqrarul Hassan: Azma Bokhari

“Alhamdulillah, the court has delivered its verdict in our favour today,” the counsel said, adding that Qureshi had admitted during the trial that he did not have evidence to support his allegations.

Azma said Qureshi had alleged that the information minister brought more than 100 paid persons into the Punjab Assembly during the K-P chief minister’s visit. He added that the opposition leader had also accused journalists who questioned the K-P chief minister during the visit of being paid employees of the minister.

According to the counsel, Qureshi had maintained during the proceedings that he made the statement as his personal observation. However, he failed to prove the allegations, Bukhari said.

Qureshi refuses to back off, says fine will not silence him

Qureshi, in a post on X, strongly criticised the decision to impose a fine against him, saying that financial penalties would not deter him from raising his voice for public rights, constitutional supremacy, democracy, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.

"My voice cannot be suppressed by trying to impose fines, but the voice I raise in favour of the people's rights, the supremacy of the Constitution, and Imran Khan cannot be silenced," he said in the social media post.

He said his responsibility as opposition leader was not to appease those in power but to question their actions, defend the rights of the people, and resist what he described as undemocratic measures.

He raised concerns over the implications of the fine for freedom of expression and democratic values, arguing that demanding accountability and speaking up for citizens should not be treated as an offence warranting a financial penalty worth millions of rupees.

“This is not just an issue concerning one individual but the entire democracy and the right to dissent,” he opined.

Qureshi stressed that dissent was a fundamental strength of democracy rather than a weakness. He added that imposing fines in response to criticism could not invalidate an individual's position.

Reaffirming his resolve, the opposition leader said he would neither be intimidated by the decision nor abandon his principles under pressure.

“My stance is clear: no fear, no compromise, no silence,” Qureshi said.

Meanwhile, PTI's account on X also seconded Qureshi.

"Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf expresses profound reservations over the impending verdict in the defamation case against Moin Qureshi, the opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly. The government, propped up on a bogus mandate, is now unwilling to tolerate even political criticism and dissent," the party said in the social media post.

It further said the situation raises serious questions regarding the use of law against political opponents and freedom of expression.

The party also said the verdict should be viewed in the backdrop of an impending resolution in the Punjab assembly against the October 11 emergency and governor's rule in K-P.

"In such a sensitive political environment, the emergence of the defamation case verdict against him is not merely a judicial matter but also raises questions about its timing and political implications," the party hinted at a political vendetta against Qureshi for voicing dissent.

"Turning political differences into fear through legal actions is contrary to democratic values," PTI concluded, while highlighting that dissent against the interim K-P government should be responded to within constitutional and democratic bounds.