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Yalda Hakim fact-checked Pakistan's minister on live TV after India’s strikes on terror camps in Pakistan. She cited past admissions by Pakistani leaders on terrorism, leaving the minister struggling to respond.
Pakistan’s Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar was caught off guard during a live interview with Sky News journalist Yalda Hakim, just hours after India carried out missile strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Tarar claimed that India had targeted civilian areas in the early morning strikes, but Hakim immediately countered his statement. She said, “The Indian armed forces have said they only targeted terrorist camps and not Pakistani military or civilian areas.” The strikes reportedly hit nine terror locations, including Jaish-e-Mohammad’s base in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s stronghold in Muridke.
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Hakim, an Afghan-origin journalist known for her hard-hitting questions, confronted Tarar with facts from Pakistan’s own leaders. She reminded him that Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had recently admitted on her show that Pakistan had “sponsored terrorism” for decades, often acting as a proxy for the United States.
She also brought up past statements by Pakistani leaders, including former President Pervez Musharraf, late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and even Bilawal Bhutto, all of whom acknowledged Pakistan’s past links to terrorist groups. “So when you say there are no terror camps in Pakistan, you’re contradicting your own leaders,” Hakim told Tarar.
Visibly uncomfortable, Tarar repeated that Pakistan was a victim of terrorism and had lost 90,000 lives in the war against it. He accused India of staying silent during the recent Jafar Express hijacking incident. But Hakim reminded him that Pakistan had hosted Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, who was found and killed by U.S. forces in Abbottabad in 2011. “I have been to Pakistan, and we all know where bin Laden was found,” she said.
The interview has gone viral online, with many praising Hakim for calling out Pakistan’s double standards on terrorism.
Meanwhile, India defended its strikes under Operation Sindoor, saying the action was a necessary response to the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam. India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the strikes were “measured, non-escalatory, and focused on destroying terror infrastructure.” He also referred to the UN Security Council’s call to bring the perpetrators and sponsors of the Pahalgam attack to justice.
