We accept Sharif has never been accused by NAB of any wrongdoing in relation to British public money, says newspaper
\n Islamabad
\nBritish newspaper Daily Mail on Thursday retracted its allegations against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about embezzling public funds in a news story.
\nThe news story titled \u2018Did the family of Pakistani politician who has become the poster boy for British overseas aid STEAL funds meant for earthquake victims\u2019 was published on July 14, 2019.
\nIn the concerning article, the British newspaper said it reported on an investigation by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) into PM Shehbaz and suggested that the money under investigation \u201cincluded a not insubstantial sum of British public money that had been paid to the Punjab province in DFID grant aid\u201d.
\n\u201cWe accept Mr Sharif has never been accused by the National Accountability Bureau of any wrongdoing in relation to British public money or DFID grant aid,\u201d the newspaper said in a statement published on its website.
\n\u201cWe are pleased to make this clear and apologise to Mr Sharif for this error,\u201d it added.
\nThe British publication has also reportedly removed its reporter David Rose story from all platforms.
\nPM Shehbaz Sharif had filed a case in the London High Court against British newspaper Daily Mail and its reporter David Rose for publishing a \u201cfabricated and defamatory\u201d report against him in 2020.
\n\u201cIt was a fabricated and defamatory story which published in the Daily Mail. It was a part of propaganda launched by [then prime minister] Imran Niazi against the PML-N in the name of sham accountability,\u201d he said while addressing a news conference in London.
\nRefuting the allegation made in the Daily Mail report, Shehbaz, then leader of the opposition in the National Assembly said, \u201cIf there was a shred of evidence against him of siphoning off millions of ponds the unholy alliance of NAB and PM Imran would not have filed baseless references against him in Pakistan.\u201d
\nOn July 14, 2019 the story appeared in the British newspaper accusing former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif and his family of embezzling millions of pounds out of \u00a3500 million aid lent by the Department for International Development (DFID) for 2005 earthquake victims.
\nAs soon as the report surfaced, the PML-N termed it a conspiracy against Shehbaz hatched by the PTI government.
\nSoon after the report stated making headlines, then PM\u2019s aide on accountability, Shahzad Akbar, had endorsed the Daily Mail story and challenged Shehbaz to file a lawsuit against him in the London court.
\nHe claimed that the government had \u2018undeniable evidence\u2019 to establish that the assets accumulated by the PML-N president\u2019s family were made through money laundering and illegal means.
\nThe United Kingdom government-owned agency, DFID, had also refuted claims made by the British daily of aid money being embezzled and laundered by Shehbaz and his family.
\nThe aid agency had also said The Mail \u201cprovides little substantial evidence to support its headline\u201d and that Shehbaz \u201cdenies any wrongdoing\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We accept Sharif has never been accused by NAB of any wrongdoing in relation to British public money, says newspaper Islamabad British newspaper Daily Mail on Thursday retracted its allegations against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about embezzling public funds in a news story. The news story titled \u2018Did the family of Pakistani politician who has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":300082,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1284,5381,11784,11785,11334,5822],"class_list":{"0":"post-300063","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news","8":"tag-allegations","9":"tag-apologises","10":"tag-daily-mail","11":"tag-funds-embezzlement","12":"tag-pm-shehbaz-shareef","13":"tag-pm-shehbaz-sharif"},"yoast_head":"\n