‘Not accused of any wrongdoing’: Daily Mail apologises to Pakistan PM Shehbaz for false corruption allegation

The British publication issued a clarification printed on its web site on Thursday.

Islamabad,UPDATED: Dec 8, 2022 23:37 IST

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

By Press Trust of India: A distinguished British publication and information website has apologised to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for an “error” in an article it printed in 2019 — during which it had accused the premier of “stealing British foreign aid money”, in line with a media report.

British publication The Mail on Sunday and information website Mail Online on Thursday apologised to Shehbaz.

The stated information story, written by investigative journalist David Rose, has now been faraway from the publication’s web site and different platforms.

Dawn reported that the article printed on July 14, 2019, had claimed that Shehbaz had embezzled funds supplied by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) for the rehabilitation of the 2005 earthquake whereas he was chief minister of Punjab.

It had quoted former accountability chief Shahzad Akbar and some different people — none of whom had been in an official place. The story was shortly refuted by the PML-N and the celebration had insisted that it was printed “on the behest of (PTI Chairman) Imran Khan”.

It was additionally rejected by DFID, which stated the physique’s “robust systems protected UK taxpayers from fraud”.

In January 2020, the prime minister filed a defamation declare towards the “grotesque allegation” claiming a retraction, damages and an apology.

In March this yr, the newspaper submitted a 50-page response to Shehbaz’s defamation go well with.

In a clarification printed on its web site, the British publication stated: “In an article concerning Shehbaz Sharif entitled ‘Did the family of Pakistani politician who has become the poster boy for British overseas aid STEAL funds meant for earthquake victims’ published on July 14, 2019, we reported on an investigation by Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau into Sharif and suggested that the money under investigation included a not insubstantial sum of British public money that had been paid to the Punjab province in DFID grant aid.”

It stated that the premier “has never been accused by the National Accountability Bureau of any wrongdoing in relation to British public money or DFID grant aid”.

“We are pleased to make this clear and apologise to Sharif for this error,” Daily Mail added.

The article, quoting investigators and a “confidential investigation report”, had claimed that the cash “stolen” by the PML-N president, between the 2005 earthquake and 2012, got here from the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID)-funded help initiatives, reported Dawn.

Published On:

Dec 8, 2022