Tarar demands apologies for global reportage linking Pakistan to Bondi Beach shooting

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar demanded apologies and corrigendum from international media that published unverified report, linking Pakistan to the shooting at Australia's Bondi Beach. He described the coverage a 'vicious disinformation campaign' against Pakistan.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, Tarar presented video clips and timelines to demonstrate how several media organisations 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,” he said.

Read: Bondi gunman confirmed to be of Indian origin

Following the attack, which claimed 15 lives, several Indian and Israeli media houses identified an individual named Naveed Akram as a 'Pakistani attacker'. The claim was later disproved when a Pakistani-Australian man with the same name publicly denied 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, adding that his photographs were taken from social media and wrongly described as the shooter.

He said the false identification had severe 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 that 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 Philippines authorities had also verified that the individual travelled to the Philippines on an Indian passport.

“There was not a shred of evidence linking Pakistan to the incident,” Tarar said, while praising Australian authorities for waiting for verified facts before reaching 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 stance against terrorism.

“Pakistan has lost more than 90,000 lives to terrorism and has consistently condemned it in all forms and manifestations,” he said.

Also Read: Australia to rush emergency gun law reforms after Bondi attack

Tarar said that Pakistan was not pursuing legal action at this stage but expected apologies in accordance 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.”

He confirmed that Pakistan’s foreign missions had been provided with 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 Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari had issued strong condemnations from the outset.