British tabloid, The Mail on Sunday, has created a considerable political commotion with the publication of an alleged corruption scandal involving the PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif and family. According to the paper, during his tenure as chief minister of Punjab, Sharif embezzled millions from the £500 million of public money UK's Department For International Development(DFID) gave to help the 2005 earthquake victims, and that the "stolen millions" were laundered in Birmingham and then transferred to Sharif's family accounts by UK branches of banks, including Barclays and HSBS. The writer, David Rose, goes on to say that he was given exclusive access to some of the results of a high-level probe ordered by Prime Minister Imran Khan and also allowed to interview key witnesses held on remand in jail, including a British citizen, Aftab Mehmood, who claims to have laundered millions on behalf of the Sharif family from a nondescript office in Birmingham.
The story appearing under the headline "Did the family of Pakistani politician who has become the poster boy for British overseas aid steal funds meant for earthquake victims?" is extremely damaging for Sharif and embarrassing for DFID, which has contested its substance saying the report provides little evidence to support its headline. Its spokesman explained that the financial support was primarily focused on building schools, and was given once the agreed work was completed, which was audited and verified, adding that its "robust systems protected UK taxpayer from fraud." Notwithstanding the clarification, contents of the report need to be effectively challenged by the other party. So far the PML-N has responded to the allegations against its president with counter allegations. The party's information secretary, Maryam Aurangzeb, did not help her side when she called a press conference where she brandished a picture of Imran Khan meeting with Rose to claim the report was fabricated during that meeting. The reporter promptly responded by pointing out that the photo was taken when he interviewed Khan before the elections, offering the proof by sharing the web link of the interview published in the same paper on July 21, 2018. Although Shahbaz Sharif also said the report was published at the behest of the PM and his assistant on accountability, Shahzad Akbar, vowing to initiate legal proceedings against them, he also announced he would sue the newspaper for carrying a "fabricated and misleading story." That would be the right course for him to take.
David Rose stands by his story, knowing of course that there are serious consequences in Britain for defaming the reputation of anyone. As a matter of fact, two years ago the Daily Mail and Mail Online paid Melania Trump damages and legal cost worth nearly $3 million for false claims about her work as a professional model. The accusations in the present instance are far too serious. Sharif must sue the publication to clear his position.