ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday demanded public apologies and corrections from international media outlets that published unverified claims linking Pakistan to the Bondi Beach shooting incident in Australia, calling the reporting a 'vicious disinformation campaign.'
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Tarar presented video clips and timelines to show how several outlets circulated claims that one of the attackers was Pakistani without verification.
“A false and deliberate misinformation campaign was launched from hostile countries to malign Pakistan,” Tarar said.
In the aftermath of the attack, several Indian and Israeli media outlets identified an individual named Naveed Akram as a “Pakistani attacker.” The assertion was later disproved after a Pakistani-Australian man sharing the same name publicly rejected any involvement in the incident.
“This is not me, and I have no connection whatsoever to that incident or to the person involved,” Akram said, explaining that his personal photographs were taken from social media and wrongly attributed to the suspect.
He said the false identification had serious personal consequences. “I am stressed and scared and cannot even step outside safely,” he said, describing the compounded trauma of witnessing the tragedy and then being misidentified online.
Tarar said official clarifications later confirmed there was no Pakistani link to the incident.
He cited a police statement from India identifying one of the attackers as a resident of Telangana, Hyderabad, holding an Indian passport issued by the Indian embassy in Sydney.
The information minister added that Philippine authorities also verified the individual had traveled to the Philippines on an Indian passport.
“There was not a shred of evidence linking Pakistan to the incident,” Tarar said, praising Australian authorities for waiting for verified facts before drawing conclusions. “Now my question is, who’s going to cover the damage that was caused to Pakistan through these fake posts and false information?”
The minister said the misinformation campaign coincided with Pakistan’s commemoration of the December 16 APS Peshawar martyrs, calling the timing “particularly painful.” He reiterated Pakistan’s long-standing position against terrorism.
“Pakistan has lost more than 90,000 lives to terrorism and has consistently condemned it in all forms and manifestations,” Tarar said.
He said Pakistan was not initiating legal action at this stage but expected corrections and apologies in line with journalistic norms. “I think an apology would be nice,” he said. “It is part of journalistic norms to tender an apology on incorrect news posted and disseminated.”
Tarar confirmed that Pakistan’s foreign missions have been provided verified information and video material to support expatriate communities affected by the false claims. “All our embassies have been shared this video and the correct information, and they are available to our citizens for any assistance,” he said.
Pakistan’s government condemned the Bondi Beach attack immediately after the incident and expressed solidarity with the Australian government and people. Tarar said both Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari issued strong condemnations from the outset.
