ISLAMABAD: Vice President of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Parliamentary Leader of the PPP in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman, said that the Bondi Beach terror attack in Sydney continues to raise multiple layers of questions, particularly concerning reported Indian links. At the same time, a slew of allegations directed at Pakistan by sections of the Indian and Israeli media are increasingly backfiring under scrutiny.
In a statement on the social media platform ‘X’, Senator Sherry Rehman noted that the speed and intensity with which blame was assigned to Pakistan, without verified evidence, reflects a troubling pattern of disinformation that undermines genuine counterterrorism efforts. She emphasised that selective narratives not only distort facts but also erode the credibility of international accountability mechanisms.“Given that this is not the first incident where Indian links to international terror attacks raise such concerns, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) should also look into the trail of growing Indian fingerprints in so many attacks, including in Canada and other countries last year,” she said, stressing that counterterrorism frameworks must apply equal standards to all states without exception.
Sherry further observed that the Bondi Beach attack is now being reframed away from its original intent to terrorise and is instead being scaffolded into an identity politics debate. She cautioned that such reframing obscures the criminal nature of the attack and risks fuelling dangerous spirals of social prejudice, otherisation, and hate-based violence rather than delivering justice.
The perpetrators in Sydney are reportedly of Muslim background. Senator Rehman underscored a powerful and often overlooked fact: Ahmed Al-Ahmed, the courageous individual who confronted one of the attackers and helped save lives, is also a Muslim migrant in Australia. “Australian authorities have publicly described him as a ‘hero’,” she said. “This reality directly challenges attempts to demonise entire communities.”
She added that the surge in Islamophobia following this heinous attack is plainly wrong and deeply unjust.
Sherry stressed that acts of terror cannot and must not be used to justify attacks on innocent people based on faith, identity, or geopolitics. She reaffirmed that violence against civilians is indefensible in all circumstances—whether on a public beach in Bondi or in conflict zones such as Gaza.
She called for responsible media conduct, fact-based investigations, and a principled global response rooted in fairness, accountability, and respect for human dignity.
