‘Hostile countries’ behind campaign to malign Pakistan after Bondi shooting: Tarar

• Information Minister denounces irresponsible reporting linking Pakistan with Bondi Beach shooting, calling misinformation ‘deliberate and malicious’
• Terms ‘Bondi Beach shooting ‘very sad and highly condemnable, expressing solidarity with people, govt of Australia
• Questions who will compensate Pakistan for reputational damage caused by false reports, highlighting India’s involvement in funding and planning terrorist attacks in Balochistan and KP

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday strongly condemned a false media campaign linking Pakistan to the Bondi Beach shooting in Australia, calling it a “deliberate attempt by hostile countries to malign the nation.”

He asserted that unverified claims circulated in international and Indian media alleging that one of the attackers was from Lahore were entirely baseless and deliberately spread to damage Pakistan’s reputation.

Briefing foreign media, Tarar described the December 14 attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration as “a very sad and highly condemnable incident.” The shooting left 15 people dead, including a rabbi, a Holocaust survivor, and 10-year-old Matilda Britvan, while two police officers remained in critical but stable condition, according to New South Wales police. He paid tribute to a Syrian-origin Australian citizen who subdued one of the attackers, saving multiple lives.

Tarar emphasized that Pakistan, having suffered decades of terrorism, fully empathizes with the pain of the Australian people. He noted that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari, and the government had expressed categorical condemnation and solidarity with Australia.

Highlighting the misinformation campaign, the minister said certain media outlets quickly alleged that one of the attackers was from Lahore, without any evidence or verification. “The campaign proliferated in Israel and India across social media platforms and electronic media,” he said, noting that it coincided with Pakistan’s commemoration of the Army Public School attack in Peshawar on December 16, 2014—one of the country’s most tragic terrorist incidents.

Tarar stressed that Pakistan had always been a frontline state in the global fight against terrorism. “Every segment of Pakistani society, from children to soldiers, officers, professionals, security personnel, and police, has paid a heavy price over more than a decade in combating terrorism,” he said. He reiterated that no credible evidence linked Pakistan to the Bondi Beach attackers and called the narrative a deliberate misinformation campaign.

The minister pointed out that Indian authorities later clarified that the suspect was from Hyderabad, India, and his passport had been issued by the Indian embassy in Sydney. Philippine authorities also confirmed his travel using the same passport. Tarar criticized international media for failing to verify information before publishing and praised Australian authorities for conducting a professional investigation and refraining from speculation.

He questioned who would compensate Pakistan for the reputational damage caused by the false reports and whether apologies or legal action would follow. Tarar also linked the episode to broader concerns over transnational terrorism, citing the assassination of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and other attacks. He said Pakistan had presented irrefutable evidence of Indian involvement in funding and planning terrorist incidents in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“India has not only funded terrorism in Pakistan but has also been actively involved in planning attacks in Balochistan and KP,” the minister added, reinforcing Pakistan’s long-standing stance against cross-border terrorism while condemning the misinformation campaign surrounding the Bondi Beach tragedy.