Ministry rejects the baseless allegations levelled in a section of the press

This Ministry rejects the baseless allegations levelled in a news item published in “The Daily Times” of 13 April 2016 by Rana Mushtaq.

Mr. Mushtaq has alleged that the present Foreign Secretary allowed Rs.11 million to be spent on the renovation of his official residence. This is a false allegation. No such expenditure has been incurred on the official residence by the incumbent Foreign Secretary.

Mr. Mushtaq cites some PAC report without specifying its time period or providing any details to substantiate his allegation. His claim that he shared some documents with the Spokesperson is not true. In fact, the Spokesperson sought details of his claim, which the writer did not provide.

Mr. Mushtaq has further alleged that the Foreign Office purchased tickets for the visit of some members of PFOWA to China. This allegation is also utterly baseless.

We deeply regret the attempts by a section of the media to malign the office of the Foreign Secretary or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through such fabricated stories. It is expected that the Daily Times management would take notice of the irresponsible, false, and baseless allegations levelled by its correspondent, Rana Mushtaq. Such baseless stories not only hurt the good name of Daily Times, but also undermine the positive role that media plays in any democratic society.

Islamabad
April 15, 2016

137/2016