{
  "id": 15760247,
  "title": "Opposition leader ordered to pay Rs3mn to Punjab minister in defamation case",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/opposition-leader-ordered-to-pay-rs3mn-to-punjab-minister-in",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-20T15:39:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Recorder",
    "slug": "business-recorder",
    "url": "https://www.brecorder.com/news/40445133/opposition-leader-ordered-to-pay-rs3mn-to-punjab-minister-in-defamation-case"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Azma Bokhari has been ordered to pay Rs3 million to opposition leader Moeen Riaz Qureshi in a defamation case, according to a statement from the Lahore Defamation Tribunal. Bokhari had filed a suit against Qureshi for Rs84 million, seeking damages for remarks he made on a television program. In his comments, Qureshi claimed that Bokhari had arranged for 150 to 200 paid individuals to enter the Punjab Assembly during a visit by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. He also alleged that journalists who questioned Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM were paid employees of Bokhari. Bokhari rejected these allegations as \"entirely false, fabricated and a malicious\" attempt to tarnish her reputation. The tribunal found that Qureshi had failed to provide evidence to back up his claims and dismissed his counsel's argument that Bokhari's suit was unfounded. Qureshi acknowledged making the statements in the program but maintained his position. In response to the verdict, Qureshi stated that his right to express his disagreement with Bokhari's actions could not be suppressed through financial penalties. He emphasized that attempting to silence criticism through damages does not prove a viewpoint wrong and highlighted the importance of the right to dissent in a democratic society.",
  "summary": "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…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}