ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Murad Saeed has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against a district court decision ordering him to pay Rs2.5 million in damages to Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal.
Saeed has filed an appeal challenging the district court’s decision and has requested the high court to set aside the damages decree issued against him.
An Additional District Judge in Islamabad had ordered Murad Saeed on July 29, 2026, to pay damages to Ahsan Iqbal. Saeed has now challenged that order before the Islamabad High Court.
The appeal argues that the trial court’s decision was contrary to material facts and evidence available on the record. Saeed has requested the high court to suspend the implementation of the district court’s damages decree while his appeal is being heard.
According to the petition, the press conference that became the basis of the case was conducted on the basis of official records and information received from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Saeed further contended that the trial court failed to properly consider statements made by court witnesses as well as the FIA report submitted in connection with the case.
The appeal also claims that Ahsan Iqbal and his witnesses had acknowledged during the proceedings that their reputation had not suffered any damage as a result of the statements attributed to Saeed.
Saeed maintained that the trial court itself had acknowledged that malice had not been established against him. However, despite this finding, the court proceeded to award damages against him.
The PTI leader has therefore requested the Islamabad High Court to overturn the district court’s decision and declare the Rs2.5 million damages decree null and void.
The high court will now consider the grounds raised in the appeal and the request for a stay order. Any further proceedings will determine whether the district court’s damages award should remain in place or be set aside.
The case is part of a legal dispute between Murad Saeed and Ahsan Iqbal over statements made in a press conference and the alleged impact of those statements on Iqbal’s reputation.
