Islamabad (Web Desk): Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar has strongly denounced attempts by certain media outlets to falsely link Pakistan to the Bondi Beach shooting in Sydney, describing the reports as a deliberate campaign to tarnish the country’s image.
Speaking to foreign media in Islamabad on Wednesday, Tarar said, “A false and deliberate misinformation campaign was launched from hostile countries to malign Pakistan.”
He called the December 14 attack at Bondi Beach “a deeply tragic and utterly condemnable event.”
According to New South Wales police, the assailants, reportedly a father and son, opened fire during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration, killing 15 people. The victims included a rabbi and father of five, a Holocaust survivor, and a 10-year-old girl, Matilda Britvan. Two police officers remained critically injured but stable.
Tarar pointed out that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari, and the Pakistani government had firmly condemned the incident and expressed solidarity with the people and authorities of Australia.
He emphasized that Pakistan, having endured years of terrorism, empathized with the grief and suffering of the Australian community.
The minister also praised a Syrian-origin Australian citizen who intervened during the attack, preventing further casualties.
Highlighting the misinformation campaign, Tarar criticized certain international media for falsely claiming that one of the attackers hailed from Lahore. He said these reports were entirely unverified and spread widely on social and electronic media, particularly in India and Israel.
“Pakistan has consistently been a frontline state in the global fight against terrorism,” Tarar remarked, adding that the timing of the false claims coincided with Pakistan’s commemoration of one of its darkest terrorist attacks—the Army Public School tragedy in Peshawar on December 16, 2014, when innocent children lost their lives.
The minister said that there was no credible evidence linking the Bondi Beach attackers to Pakistan, calling the reports a clear example of misinformation. He expressed concern that even well-established international media outlets fell for these false narratives despite having structured verification systems in place.
Tarar clarified that Indian authorities subsequently confirmed that one of the attackers was from Hyderabad, India, and carried a passport issued by the Indian embassy in Sydney, which was also verified by Philippine authorities.
Listing several international and Indian media organizations that published the unverified claims, Tarar suggested the campaign appeared orchestrated, spreading quickly without proper editorial checks.
He stressed that Pakistan has always condemned terrorism in all forms and ensures information is verified before making any official response.
The minister commended Australian authorities for handling the investigation professionally, refraining from speculation, and waiting for facts to be confirmed before assigning blame.
He questioned who would compensate Pakistan for the damage to its reputation and whether there should be formal apologies or legal action, or if this would simply fade as an unfounded smear campaign.
Referring to assassination of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and other transnational terrorist incidents, Tarar reiterated Pakistan’s evidence of Indian involvement in funding and planning attacks in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“India had not only funded terrorism in Pakistan but had also been involved in planning attacks in Balochistan and KP,” the information minister said.