Photo courtesy PID
British newspaper Daily Mail on Thursday apologized to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over an “error” in an article published on July 14, 2019 that had accused him of stealing British funds intended for earthquake victims.
The article—“Did the family of Pakistani politician who has become the poster boy for British overseas aid STEAL funds meant for earthquake victims?”—has also been removed from the newspaper’s website and other platforms alongside the apology. In it, journalist David Rose had accused Sharif and his family of embezzling millions of pounds from the £500 million aid provided by the U.K.’s Department for International Development (DFID) for victims of the 2005 earthquake during his tenure as Punjab chief minister.
In its clarification, which was published on its website and the newspaper, the Daily Mail said it had reported on an investigation by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) into Sharif’s alleged corruption, with the article suggesting 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.”
Noting that it accepted that Sharif had “never been accused by the National Accountability Bureau of any wrongdoing in relation to British public money or DFID grant aid,” the newspaper added: “We are pleased to make this clear and apologize to Mr. Sharif for this error.”
Reacting to the clarification, the prime minister praised Allah for his vindication. “For 3 long years, Imran [Khan] and his minions went to any limit to assassinate my character. In their smear campaign, they didn’t bother if their actions brought a bad name to Pakistan and damaged its relations with friendly country,” he wrote in a series of tweets on Twitter. “They mocked and ridiculed me and my family through their baseless allegations but I had my unwavering faith in Allah, for only He could expose their brazen lies. Disinformation and fake news have limited shelf life and truth is ultimate victor. After NCA [U.K.’s National Crime Agency], Daily Mail story has proven it,” he added.
Immediately after its publication in 2019, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) had termed the article part of a conspiracy hatched by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government against Shehbaz. This stance had been validated by then-premier Imran Khan’s accountability czar, Shahzad Akbar, repeatedly alleging that the story was accurate and challenging Shehbaz to file a lawsuit against Daily Mail.
In 2020, Sharif had filed a case against Daily Mail and journalist Rose in the London High Court for publishing a “fabricated and defamatory” report against him. In a subsequent press conference, then-opposition leader Sharif had said there was no evidence of the report’s claims and accused Khan of filing “baseless” references against him in Pakistan.
DFID had also come to Sharif’s aid, saying the Daily Mail had provided “little substantial evidence to support its headline” and that Shehbaz “denies any wrongdoing.”