Pakistani agency faces heat, blames WikiLeaks fiasco on a daily

ISLAMABAD - The Pakistani Online news agency has issued a clarification after it published a fake WikiLeaks report attributing to then US ambassador to India that New Delhi allegedly played a role in destabilizing the country’s Balochistan province, media reports said Saturday.

Online claimed that “the said story was lifted from the Daily Mail newspaper published from Islamabad”.

“The newspaper is believed to be close to the intelligence agencies in Pakistan and planted stories,” Online said.

“We have been regularly reproducing stuff from Pakistani media organizations and releasing prominent points,” the clarification read.

The News daily carried the clarification on the front page after it published the report. It has also sent a legal notice to Online for false news that “damaged the credibility of the newspaper”.

Similar reports were carried by Express daily, The Nation and other newspapers, besides TV channels in Pakistan.

The Online story had mentioned India’s role in allegedly destabilizing Pakistan’s tribal areas and Balochistan province and attributed these statements to then US ambassador to India, citing WikiLeaks.