‘India, Israel ran disinfo drive against Pakistan after Sydney attack’
Pakistan unequivocally condemns the attack and expressed solidarity with Australia, pointing to Pakistan’s own decades-long struggle with militant violence
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (MNTV) — Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, on Wednesday accused India and Israel of running a coordinated disinformation campaign falsely linking suspects in the Dec. 14 Sydney Bondi Beach shooting to Pakistan.
Speaking to foreign journalists in Islamabad, Tarar described the allegations as “baseless” and said they were intended to malign Pakistan internationally.
The mass shooting, described by Australian authorities as a terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community, left 15 people dead and dozens injured. Early media reports identified the attackers as a father and son named Sajid and Naveed Akram.
Following the incident, Indian news channels and social media accounts circulated unverified claims that the suspects were Pakistani, sharing images of a Sydney resident with the same name wearing a Pakistan cricket team shirt. The man later denied any involvement, saying he had received threats and feared for his safety.
“This campaign was launched from hostile countries trying to malign Pakistan,” Tarar said. “In Israel and in India, this campaign was amplified on social media as well as electronic media platforms, which is deeply unfortunate, given that Pakistan has been a frontline state in the war against terrorism.”
He stressed that Pakistan unequivocally condemns the attack and expressed solidarity with Australia, pointing to Pakistan’s own decades-long struggle with militant violence.
“There was no verification, no documentation, no evidence whatsoever,” Tarar said. “Yet a false campaign was launched, and even reputed media outlets failed to uphold basic journalistic standards.”
Tarar said Indian authorities later confirmed that the father involved in the attack was from Telangana, India, and held an Indian passport. Philippine authorities also verified that the suspect had traveled using the same Indian passport.
Praising Australian authorities for conducting a professional investigation, Tarar questioned whether legal action or formal apologies would follow for the reputational harm caused to Pakistan — a country that has lost more than 90,000 lives in its fight against terrorism, including schoolchildren killed in the 2014 Peshawar Army Public School attack.
He urged international media to verify information before publishing unsubstantiated allegations and reiterated that Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms.
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