Minister says hostile countries launched deliberate false disinformation campaign to defame Pakistan
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar holds a press conference on Wednesday, December 17, 2025.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has demanded an apology and a correction from international media outlets that published an unverified report linking Pakistan to the Bondi Beach shooting in Australia. He described the coverage as a “cruel disinformation campaign” against Pakistan.
At a news conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, Tarar presented video clips and timelines to demonstrate how several media outlets circulated claims that one of the attackers was Pakistani, without verification.
“A false and deliberate disinformation campaign was launched from hostile countries to defame Pakistan,” he said.
Read: Bondi gunman confirmed to be of Indian origin
Following the attack, which claimed 15 lives, several Indian and Israeli media outlets identified an individual named Naveed Akram as a “Pakistani attacker.” The claim was later refuted 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 to that incident or the person involved,” Akram said, adding that his photos were taken from social media and he was wrongly described as the shooter.
He said the false identification had serious personal consequences. “I’m stressed and scared and I can’t even go out 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. It cited an Indian police statement identifying one of the attackers as a resident of Telangana, Hyderabad, and that he possessed an Indian passport issued by the Indian embassy in Sydney. The Information Minister added that Philippine authorities had also verified that the individual traveled to the Philippines on an Indian passport.
“There was not the slightest bit of evidence linking Pakistan to the incident,” Tarar said, while praising Australian authorities for waiting for the facts to be verified before jumping to conclusions. “Now my question is: who will cover the damage caused to Pakistan through these false publications and information?”
The minister said the disinformation campaign coincided with Pakistan’s commemoration of the APS Peshawar martyrs on December 16, calling the moment “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 its forms and manifestations,” he said.
Read alsoAustralia to rush emergency gun law reforms after Bondi attack
Tarar said Pakistan was not taking legal action at this time, but expected an apology in line with journalistic standards. “I think an apology would be nice,” he said. “It is part of journalistic norms to apologize for incorrect news published and disseminated.”
He confirmed that Pakistan’s foreign missions had received verified information and video material to support expatriate communities affected by the false claims. “All of our embassies have been shared with this video and the correct information, and they are available to our citizens for any help,” he said.
The Pakistani government condemned the attack on Bondi Beach immediately after the incident and expressed its solidarity with the Australian government and people. Tarar said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari had issued strong condemnations from the beginning.
