Additional Sessions Judge Hakim Khan announced the verdict, holding that allegations made by Saeed had harmed Iqbal s reputation, honour and dignity.
The case stemmed from statements made by Saeed in February 2019, when he was serving as the federal minister for communications. At the time, he accused Iqbal of receiving up to Rs70 billion in commissions in the Multan-Sukkur Motorway project.
In its ruling, the court said Saeed s allegations of corruption, misuse of authority and receiving illegal commissions were defamatory and were not substantiated by any evidence.
The court observed that the allegations created a negative public impression of Iqbal and amounted to a direct attack on his integrity, character and reputation.
The judgment noted that Iqbal had sought Rs10 billion in damages. However, the court found the claimed amount excessive in light of the evidence presented and awarded Rs2.5 million instead.
The court also observed that Murad Saeed neither appeared before the court nor submitted evidence to support the allegations he had made against the PML-N leader.
