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How a Microsoft Font Brought Down Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (2017)

292 points| ing33k | 7 years ago |theglobeandmail.com

110 comments

order
[+] sjm-lbm|7 years ago|reply
The scandal wasn't near as big, but a similar issue arose during the 2004 US Presidential election. Documents claiming to be from the early 1970s about George W Bush's air national guard service were found to use things like proportional-width fonts - and, indeed, the entire document seems to have just been typed using the default settings for a contemporary version of Word.

Here's some details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killian_documents_controversy

[+] perl4ever|7 years ago|reply
The letters were short, so someone could easily have retyped them in Word. Did anyone old enough to have used a typewriter seriously claim they were photocopies of 70s era typewritten documents? Surely Dan Rather of all people must have some experience with typewriters.
[+] ankit219|7 years ago|reply
Pakistan acted on the Panama papers is a big news since a lot of countries with allegedly a hard stance against corruption did not.
[+] nobrains|7 years ago|reply
It was mostly due to the efforts of one man, Imran Khan.
[+] shadykiller|7 years ago|reply
True. Especially in India where it's wasn't even covered much in the news
[+] userbinator|7 years ago|reply
It's like watching a movie set in the 1950s and noticing someone in the background walking past with his head looking down at a smartphone.
[+] ChrisRR|7 years ago|reply
That's called an anachronism.
[+] arif_sohaib|7 years ago|reply
Finally a comment about the article and not about Pakistan.
[+] philliphaydon|7 years ago|reply
If it was released in beta of longhorn in 2004 couldn’t they have still legitimately created the doc???
[+] philliphaydon|7 years ago|reply
https://www.dawn.com/news/1344685

> In a separate email, de Groot, the font designer himself, said that while in theory it would have been possible to create a document using Calibri in 2006, the font would have to be obtained from a beta operating system, "from the hands of computer nerds".

> "Why would anyone use a completely unknown font for an official document in 2006?" he went on to question.

> "If the person using Calibri was such a font lover that he or she had to use the new Calibri, then he or she should be able to prove that other documents were printed with Calibri in 2006, and these prints should be in the hands of other people as well," he wrote.

> De Groot said in his opinion the document signed by Maryam Nawaz was "produced much later, when Calibri was the default font in MS Word".

So apparently yes it would be possible but highly unlikely.

[+] nobrains|7 years ago|reply
Even if it was, it would beg the question of probability of them (1) installing and using the beta and (2) somehow selecting an obscure font and (3) the font ends up becoming the default font years later.
[+] iKSv2|7 years ago|reply
"longhorn" aah that word triggers the memories of "packs" we used to get on deviantart to modify your windows back in the day
[+] Fnoord|7 years ago|reply
Extremely unlikely government officials of Pakistan used Longhorn beta in production...
[+] chris_wot|7 years ago|reply
The first public beta was released on June 6, 2006.
[+] ChicagoBoy11|7 years ago|reply
Curious how/who noticed the font detail and knew enough that it could help date the document.

However, couldn't the machine identification code from the printer reveal exactly when the document was printed?

[+] nobrains|7 years ago|reply
It was identified by the JIT (join investigation team) established by the supreme court to look at the case. And Robert W. Radley of London-based The Radley Forensic Document Laboratory was the person who helped in identifying it.

Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1344654

[+] lkbm|7 years ago|reply
It's an ice reminder that "given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow" extends beyond computer programming.

Another example: IMDB has a goof documented for the Bourne Supremacy wherein the fluorescent lamp is humming at 60Hz, instead of the 50Hz appropriate for Goa, India: https://twitter.com/deeaen/status/961369721571627009

[+] pknerd|7 years ago|reply
They hired the services of the expert who identified the font.
[+] zenovision|7 years ago|reply
Almost every printed document also have hidden yellow dots that allows you to get certain information about that document (print date, print model etc...)
[+] Froyoh|7 years ago|reply
Even monochrome printers?
[+] m23khan|7 years ago|reply
This may not amount to much for Pakistani people. The forces and judiciary are so pathetically weak that they couldn't force the PM and his Daughter and his sons to remain inside of Pakistan - so what if the PM's wife is sick in London (which we don't even know if it's true) - let her die alone because she and her life is worthless for Pakistani people. For months the PM's daughter barked daily in front of masses against the judiciary yet received full security protocol and no judge's order was put forward to muzzle her rabid speeches.

And then there is the magical softening of stance overnight and miracle reduction of punishments which Pakistani judges are famous for - absolute joke. I won't be surprised at all if at the end of day, all he gets is a 'warning' and 'stern lecture'.

Finally, PM in question and his family aren't the only corrupt folks in Pakistan - the other 'dynasty' is the PPP-clan of Bhuttos/Zardaris -- now watch them flee scotch-free from Pakistan.

And the icing on cake - UK/UAE/Swiss are among nations which actively harbor corrupt and dangerous Pakistani individuals, have granted them/their families citizenship, and allow them to bring their illegal wealth - these Govts will not send the wealth or the individuals back to Pakistan. Perhaps Pakistani ISI should learn from Israel's Mossad.

[+] gadders|7 years ago|reply
Slightly offtopic, but this [1] is a great series of podcasts about the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. No idea if she would have made a good leader, but she was certainly brave. Even if you're not interested in Pakistani politics, it's still fascinating.

[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05r6cgx/episodes/downloads

[+] huntertwo|7 years ago|reply
That’s really funny. Don’t think I’ve ever seen Calibri on any legal document now that I think of it.
[+] thewizardofaus|7 years ago|reply
They should have used Comic sans. Released 1994.
[+] ccozan|7 years ago|reply
I guess Courier would be the standart choice, right? At least most of the official and semi official papers I've seen were typed in a variant of it.
[+] cm2187|7 years ago|reply
Judicial experts in France love to make reports with fancy fonts.
[+] maxpert|7 years ago|reply
I’ve been following this case from the beginning. I think in a country like Pakistan it’s a huge accomplishment! Pakistan is known for its corrupt leaders because they control the system inside out this is probably the first time law is being upheld and people are backing it.
[+] nashashmi|7 years ago|reply
It's not over yet. The person is still in London.
[+] J-Kuhn|7 years ago|reply
tl;dr: Forged document claims to be from 2006, uses a font (Calibri) that was introduced 2007. Newsletters headline: "Sans Sharif".
[+] master_ant|7 years ago|reply
With a name like that how can you not make the pun :)
[+] unaaaa|7 years ago|reply
Would using the hidden printer tracking dots/stenography also work to disprove the documents age?
[+] Salamat|7 years ago|reply
Microsoft bought a pirate Arabic font because they would not pay the orginal owner- Boutros Fonts, his asking price, and got away with it.
[+] amriksohata|7 years ago|reply
Pakistan is not a democracy, it is run by the military regardless of who is in power, the ISI it's it's real head of state, which have a pro-islamist agenda but with a slightly modern outlook for economic growth. Regardless if he did any wrongdoing, there have been far worse acts by politicians in Pakistan and they have got away with it.
[+] nobrains|7 years ago|reply
This reply is off-topic, political, flamebait and without references. Not Hacker News material.
[+] amingilani|7 years ago|reply
That may have been true a few decades ago, but it's certainly becoming more democratic.. still not the best, though. Especially with the military curb circulations of a private national newspaper.
[+] jessaustin|7 years ago|reply
I didn't really understand USA until I spent some time considering Pakistan.
[+] typon|7 years ago|reply
Whataboutism. Corrupt politicians have ruined Pakistan and all of them should rot in prison regardless of their political affiliations. This also includes the corrupt Army generals and officers who have sucked Pakistan dry for years.
[+] pknerd|7 years ago|reply
Our neighbor's democratic PM has a pro-Hinduism agenda despite of heading a secular state. A year back many opposite voices silents who raised questions about the fake surgical strike. What's your point here by the way?