Following the British publication Daily Mail’s apology, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif slammed Monday the PTI-led government for trying to defame him, his family, and his elder brother and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif by levelling baseless allegations against them, saying that PTI’s aim was to embarrass the Sharif family in the country and abroad.

“Daily Mail’s unconditional apology isn’t just an apology to me, this is an apology to the 220 million people of Pakistan,” the premier said addressing a press conference along with federal cabinet members in Islamabad.

The prime minister said the “heartless” Imran Niazi and his followers thought that if this damaged Pakistan’s reputation globally, it wouldn’t matter. The newspaper also published its apology in Sunday’s print edition, he added.

“He (Imran Khan) was so heartless to never think that it will not only malign Nawaz Sharif or Shehbaz Sharif rather it will hurt Pakistan’s reputation,” he remarked.

He said that the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) provided 600 million pounds to Pakistan for flood affectees which were spent in a transparent manner.

“Consequently, the country was mocked and a message was conveyed that Pakistan should not be given aid or grant,” he said.

The premier said that the former prime minister Imran Khan’s advisor on accountability, Shehzad Akbar, had arranged tours for Daily Mail journalist David Rose and showed him the condition of convicts residing in jails.

He said despite the passage of three years, Shahzad Akbar failed to produce documents to substantiate his allegations.

“Despite it being a Sunday, DFID issued a clarification that nothing of the sort happened,” he said and added that the clarification was delayed by six hours on Imran Khan’s directions.