ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FO) on Friday termed reports of a high-level delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) visiting the country as “fake news” and said there was no truth in the matter.
A day ago, a PTI official from the US branch and several users who appeared to be PTI supporters based on their past posts and account descriptions shared a video clip from Zee News’ India news segment of a meeting between IAEA Director General (DG) Rafael Mariano Grossi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The posts questioned whether the government had entered into an agreement to hand over its nuclear arsenal. YouTuber Moeed Pirzada, who frequently posts pro-PTI content on his YouTube channel, also questioned the Army Public Relations Department over the agenda of the alleged visit and why it was not reported in the media. The posts did not date the alleged meeting or the program from which the clip originated.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi meets Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad in February 2023. — Photo courtesy: PM Office
The clip claimed that an agreement had been reached between Pakistan and the IAEA to hand over nuclear weapons. A video on social media also showed a picture of DG Grossi shaking hands with PM Shehbaz.
Commenting on the matter, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a post on X: “Stories regarding high-level IAEA delegation visit to Pakistan are fake news! No IAEA representative is currently visiting Pakistan; Nor are any political talks with the IAEA planned in the near future.
She said the IAEA Director General last visited the country in February 2023 and the FO briefed the media on the occasion.
The meeting depicted in the viral video clip actually took place between the IAEA director general and Prime Minister Shehbaz last February when they met to increase cooperation in peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology, especially in agriculture and medicine, for the benefit of the country and its neighbors.
DG Grossi spent two days in Pakistan, during which he met with the country’s leadership and visited a number of nuclear facilities across the country, some of which he inaugurated.
Both also spoke about the worsening effects of climate change on Pakistan and how nuclear science and IAEA support is helping the country.
