'Osama was in Abbottabad': Sky News' Yalda Hakim shuts down Pakistan minister on air over denial of terror camps

Just hours after India carried out cross-border strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), Pakistan's Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar was left scrambling for answers on live television when confronted by Sky News anchor Yalda Hakim.

During his appearance on Sky News, Tarar accused India of attacking civilian areas in the wake of Operation Sindoor, which saw the Indian armed forces hit nine terror-linked sites early Wednesday. But Hakim immediately countered his claim. "The Indian armed forces have said that they only targeted terrorist camps and not Pakistani military facilities," she said.

Tarar responded: “Let me make it very clear, there are no terrorist camps in Pakistan. Pakistan is a victim of terrorism. We are the frontline state against terrorism.”

Hakim was quick to push back, pointing to statements made by Pakistan’s own Defence Minister and past leaders. "On my programme, just a week ago, your Defence Minister Khawaja Asif admitted that Pakistan has for decades had a policy of funding, backing, using terrorist groups as proxies in the country," Hakim said. "In 2018, President Donald Trump cut military aid to Pakistan because he accused Pakistan of playing a double game."

She continued, "So when you say there’re no terrorist camps in Pakistan, that is going against what Gen Parvez Musharraf said, what Benazir Bhutto said and what your defence minister said just a week ago."

As Tarar struggled to respond, he declared, "Pakistan is the guarantor of world peace,” and even invited Hakim to visit the country.

Hakim responded firmly: "I have been to Pakistan. And we know that Osama Bin Laden was discovered in Abbottabad in Pakistan."

Meanwhile, India's Operation Sindoor has been described by senior Indian officials as a measured and non-escalatory response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 civilians dead, including one Nepali citizen. In its statement, New Delhi said: "Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution."

Security sources told India Today that over 80 terrorists were killed in the strikes that targeted terror camps linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Hizbul Mujahideen. Two of the most significant hits occurred in Bahawalpur and Muridke, killing an estimated 25–30 terrorists at each site. Muridke, notably, houses the Masjid wa Markaz Taiba, LeT’s ideological hub often called the “terror nursery” of Pakistan.