A local court in Islamabad has ruled in favour of Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal in a defamation lawsuit against former federal minister Murad Saeed, ordering the latter to pay Rs2.5 million in damages over unproven corruption allegations related to the Multan-Sukkur Motorway project.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Hakem Khan held that Murad Saeed failed to provide any evidence to support his allegations that Ahsan Iqbal was involved in Rs70 billion worth of corruption in the motorway project. The court ruled that the accusations had damaged the minister’s reputation and amounted to defamation.

According to the judgment, the allegations of corruption, misuse of authority, and receiving illegal commissions were unsupported by documentary or oral evidence. The court also noted that despite being given multiple opportunities during the proceedings, Murad Saeed neither appeared before the court nor presented any material to substantiate his claims.

Ahsan Iqbal had filed the lawsuit after Murad Saeed, then serving as a federal minister, accused him during a 2019 press conference of corruption in the Multan-Sukkur Motorway project. Although the planning minister sought Rs10 billion in damages, the court described the amount as excessive and instead awarded Rs2.5 million, saying it was appropriate compensation for the reputational harm suffered.

The verdict concludes that Murad Saeed’s failure to prove the allegations made him legally liable for defamation, bringing an end to a case that has remained before the courts for several years.