PML-N leader Ishaq Dar has issued an apology for disseminating a false election schedule, which he initially claimed was sent to him by a former party senator. In an interview Dar admitted to the error, stating, “I came to know that I shared a fake election schedule after the news aired on the channel. I apologize for sharing a fake election schedule.”
During the interview, Dar avoided disclosing the identity of the individual who provided him with the fake schedule. Despite his confidence that the purported schedule came from the election overseer and was “genuine,” he acknowledged that he had “copy and pasted” it on Twitter. It is noteworthy that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) promptly dismissed the schedule shared by Dar, confirming it as fake and asserting that no such document had been issued by the electoral body.
Dar asserted that he had deleted the post after learning about its inauthenticity on television. He expressed regret over the prevalence of fake news in the country, emphasizing that misinformation was widespread. This incident occurred concurrently with a Supreme Court bench suspending the Lahore High Court’s order against the appointment of returning officers from the bureaucracy. The court instructed the ECP to release the official election schedule, which was subsequently issued for the general elections in 2024, confirming February 8 as the election date.
When questioned about the identity of the former senator and the information source, Dar mentioned that he had not been in contact with the person. He lamented the prevalence of fake news on social media platforms, acknowledging, “I felt sorry. I should not have forwarded it.”
