Azma wins Rs84m defamation case against Punjab opposition leader Moeen Qureshi

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has won a defamation case against Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Moeen Qureshi, who has been ordered by the Defamation Tribunal in Lahore to pay her Rs84 million in damages. The defamation suit was filed by Bokhari under the Defamation Act after Qureshi made specific allegations during a television programme. Qureshi had claimed that Bokhari arranged for 150-200 paid individuals to enter the Punjab Assembly during a visit by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and also alleged that journalists questioning the KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi were paid employees of Bokhari. Bokhari challenged these remarks as defamatory, seeking the exact amount of damages that was ultimately awarded to her. This tribunal decision mandates Qureshi to pay the significant sum to Bokhari, marking a notable legal victory for the information minister.