Govt writes letter to BBC over ‘false reporting’ on PTI protest deaths

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has written a letter to the BBC, accusing it of spreading ‘disinformation’ regarding the deaths of PTI protesters during a security operation in Islamabad on November 26.

The government demanded the British news outlet correct its reporting ‘errors’ and ‘misquoted figures’ published on November 27.

The letter highlighted two instances where the reports, according to the government, conflicted with facts. One of the reports allegedly stated that “police arrested hundreds of people overnight and dozens were killed, most of them civilians.”

“Figure crunching/disinformation on a sensitive issue is a contravention to journalistic ethics,” the letter emphasised.

The Information Ministry urged the BBC to adopt a transparent and balanced approach when reporting on sensitive issues while recognising the challenges of maintaining national stability.

“It is therefore urged that a corrigendum may please be issued on the subject matter in line with responsible journalistic standards,” the letter concluded.

The alleged killings sparked outrage among PTI supporters, who are demanding justice and calling on party leadership to take action against what they describe as 'brutality' by law enforcement.

Meanwhile, several international media outlets, including BBC and The Guardian, have reported firsthand accounts from medics who were on duty at Islamabad hospitals during the operation.

These reports highlighted the human toll of the crackdown, with doctors alleging that government authorities seized medical records of injured and deceased protesters.

Eyewitness medics recounted treating numerous patients with gunshot wounds and reported seeing several bodies in hospital morgues.

A BBC team visited Islamabad’s Polyclinic and PIMS hospitals to investigate the claims of death and injuries during a grand operation against PTI in Islamabad.

At both PIMS and Polyclinic, staff reported revealed that they were under pressure to keep records of the injured and dead from the protests from being made public. PTI members were especially concerned about being arrested if their names were registered in the hospital’s records.