Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has won a defamation case against Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Moeen Qureshi, who has been ordered to pay her Rs84 million in damages.
Azma Bokhari had filed a defamation suit against Moeen Qureshi before the Defamation Tribunal in Lahore under the Defamation Act over remarks he made during a television programme.
Her lawyer, Ali Bokhari, presented arguments on her behalf during the proceedings.
The case stemmed from allegations made by Qureshi regarding an incident during a visit by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister to the Punjab Assembly.
Moeen Qureshi had alleged that Bokhari arranged for between 150 and 200 paid individuals to enter the assembly premises during the visit.
He had also claimed that journalists who questioned KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi were paid employees of the Punjab information minister.
Azma Bokhari challenged the allegations through a defamation suit, seeking Rs84 million in damages.
Following the tribunal’s decision in her favour, Moeen Qureshi is required to pay the awarded amount to Bokhari.
Court adjourns Azma Bukhari’s fake video case
The court hearing the fake video case involving Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari was adjourned after six people, including Falak Javed, appeared before the district court and marked their attendance before leaving.
Azma Bukhari did not appear in court again. She has filed an application in the Lahore High Court seeking permission to attend the proceedings via video link. The next hearing on her application is scheduled for November 2.
In the previous hearing, Punjab Information and Culture Minister Azma Bokhari appeared before a judicial magistrate in September to record her statement as the complainant in a case involving the alleged circulation of a fabricated and defamatory video on social media in 2024.
During the hearing, Bokhari described the emotional distress and trauma she said she had suffered after the clips circulated online, stressing that the case concerned a woman’s dignity and honour.
She told the court that she first came across a post claiming that her video had been released. Upon checking X, formerly Twitter, she found a post by the suspect, PTI activist Falak Javed, which she said led to the video’s wider circulation.
Bokhari urged the court to conclude the case promptly, saying the proceedings had been delayed for a year. She also explained that security concerns had initially prompted her to seek permission to record her statement through a video link, but she appeared in person in compliance with the court’s orders.
Defence counsel Mian Ali Ashfaq told the court that he would need at least four hours to cross-examine the minister. The hearing also saw a heated exchange between Bokhari and the suspect, who was brought from jail, while lawyers from both sides exchanged arguments. Judicial Magistrate Naeem Wattoo intervened and directed those present to maintain courtroom decorum.
The magistrate subsequently adjourned the proceedings for the cross-examination of Bokhari.
Previously, a judicial magistrate and a sessions court had dismissed Bokhari’s requests to record her statement online.
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) registered the case following Bokhari’s complaint regarding the alleged circulation of a fabricated video.
