Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar has strongly condemned what he called a false media campaign Pakistan faced after misleading reports linked the Bondi Beach shooting in Australia to Pakistan without evidence.
Briefing foreign media on Wednesday, Tarar said a deliberate and coordinated misinformation drive was launched from hostile countries to malign Pakistan in the aftermath of the tragic incident.
Calling the December 14 Bondi Beach attack “deeply sad and highly condemnable,” Tarar said Pakistan’s leadership stood firmly with Australia. He noted that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari, and the entire Pakistani government had unequivocally condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with the Australian people.
“Pakistan understands the pain of terrorism more than most countries,” Tarar said, reminding the world that Pakistan has suffered immensely during its long fight against extremism.
The attack, which occurred during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration in Sydney’s Bondi Beach area, claimed 15 lives. Among the victims were a rabbi who was a father of five, a Holocaust survivor, and a 10-year-old girl, Matilda Britvan. Two police officers were also critically injured but remained in stable condition, according to New South Wales police.
Tarar paid tribute to a Syrian-origin Australian citizen who bravely subdued one of the attackers, an act that helped save several lives. He also praised Australian authorities for handling the investigation responsibly and professionally, choosing facts over speculation despite intense media pressure.
In contrast, the information minister sharply criticised sections of international media for spreading unverified claims that one of the attackers was from Lahore, Pakistan.
“There was not a single shred of evidence, documentation, or verification,” Tarar said, describing it as a textbook example of a false media campaign Pakistan was subjected to.
Misinformation spread from India and Israel
According to Tarar, the baseless narrative spread rapidly across social and electronic media, particularly in India and Israel. He expressed disappointment that well-reputed international outlets published the claim without basic editorial scrutiny.
He said the misinformation was eventually debunked after Indian police confirmed that one of the attackers was from Hyderabad, India. Further verification showed that the suspect’s passport had been issued by the Indian embassy in Sydney, and authorities in the Philippines confirmed the individual had travelled using the same passport.
Tarar noted that the campaign coincided with one of Pakistan’s darkest anniversaries — the December 16 remembrance of the 2014 Army Public School attack in Peshawar, where innocent children were killed by terrorists. “It is deeply unfortunate that Pakistan was being falsely accused on a day when the nation was mourning its own martyrs,” he said.
He emphasized that Pakistan’s fight against terrorism has come at a huge cost, with sacrifices made by civilians, soldiers, police, and professionals across society.
Questions left unanswered
The minister questioned how Indian authorities initially failed to identify their own national, pointing out that modern states maintain comprehensive databases and facial recognition systems.
He also raised a crucial question: who would compensate Pakistan for the reputational damage caused by false reporting? Would apologies be issued, legal action taken, or would it all be quietly forgotten?
Tarar reiterated that Pakistan condemns terrorism in all forms and acts responsibly by verifying facts before reacting. He also referred to Pakistan’s claims of Indian involvement in cross-border terrorism, including alleged funding and planning of attacks in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Pakistan has always stood on the right side of history,” he said, adding that truth eventually prevails — even against the loudest misinformation campaigns.
