[Islamabad] Pakistan has condemned what it called an organized and malicious campaign to accuse the country, without evidence, of complicity following the attack in Sydney’s Bondi Beach area, questioning whether those responsible would issue an apology for spreading false claims.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar told international media in Islamabad on Wednesday that in the immediate aftermath of the attack, sections of the international media from what he described as hostile countries, specifically Israel and India, sought to malign Pakistan.
According to Tarar, the allegations were amplified across social media and electronic media platforms. He called the spread of such claims “deeply unfortunate.”
Indian media made unverified claims linking the attackers to Pakistan, despite providing no documentary or technical evidence.
He stressed that attributing responsibility in a terrorism-related incident requires credible, verifiable evidence, such as national database records, fingerprints, retinal scans, or facial recognition data. Tarar said none of these indicators had established any connection to Pakistan.
The minister said that Indian police confirmed that one of the Sydney attackers was from Hyderabad, Telangana, and that it had now been verified that the attacker’s passport was issued by the Indian High Commission in Sydney.
He added that the individual had travelled to the Philippines on an Indian passport, a fact that has also been confirmed by Philippine authorities.
Describing the claims made in parts of the media, Tarar said labelling an attacker as Pakistani solely based on his name represented one of the worst examples of irresponsible journalism.
He presented journalists with a video illustrating how the campaign had spread, describing it as seemingly organized.
Tarar expressed disappointment that even reputable international media outlets had given visibility to unverified claims.
Indian police confirmed on Monday that one of the attackers involved in the deadly terrorist shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach was originally from Hyderabad in India’s southern state of Telangana, clarifying earlier reports about the suspect’s identity.
Various Indian media outlets quoting Telangana Police reported that the suspect, Sajid Akram, 50, completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Hyderabad before moving to Australia in November 1998 for employment.
Authorities said Akram had been living in Australia for nearly 27 years and continued to hold an Indian passport.
Two days after the attack, investigators confirmed that Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, opened fire during a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach.
The attack killed 15 people and injured dozens of others, making it one of the deadliest acts of violence in Australia in recent years.
Ahead of an official press conference, Australia’s ABC News cited security sources as claiming that Sajid Akram and his son had travelled to the Philippines to receive what was described as “military-style training.”
However, the Philippine military said it could not immediately verify reports that the two attackers had undergone any form of military training in the country.
