Pakistan Army Chief gifts fake war image to PM Shehbaz Sharif, sparks online mockery
New Delhi: In a major embarrassment for the Pakistan Army, a photograph gifted by Army Chief General Asim Munir to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif—claimed to depict Pakistani military action against India—has been revealed to be from a Chinese military drill held in 2017. The image, presented as part of a framed souvenir during a high-profile “victory” dinner hosted by the Army Chief, quickly drew criticism and ridicule after users on social media identified the error.
The report, first aggregated by The Print, states that the event was held on Saturday to honour Pakistan’s political leadership and the armed forces' "unwavering commitment". Among those present were President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, federal ministers, governors, chief ministers, and top military officials including service chiefs and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.
A photograph from the event showing both Munir and Sharif holding the framed image soon went viral on social media. Observers were quick to point out that the picture did not depict the Pakistani Army, but was actually from a Chinese military exercise. This revelation has since sparked widespread criticism and mockery online.
Pakistani journalist Taha Siddiqui was among the first to flag the issue. Quoted by The Print, Siddiqui posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Apparently the Pakistan Army Chief has gifted PM Shehbaz Sharif a dated Chinese military photo as a souvenir to illustrate Pak Army attack against India. So not just a fake victory narrative but also a fake photo with it.”
In a conversation with The Print, Siddiqui explained how he discovered the discrepancy. “I saw the original photo being shared by local media in Pakistan and then saw other accounts sharing that it may be Chinese weaponry. Following which I did some reverse Google imaging and voila: It was indeed a Chinese arms photo from some years ago,” he said.
Several users online described the blunder as “meme-worthy,” calling it symbolic of the growing gap between Pakistan’s military narrative and reality. One user wrote, “This is more than a meme-worthy blunder—it’s a systemic tell. When Pakistan’s top general gifts the Prime Minister a recycled Chinese artillery image as ‘proof of success’, it reveals how disconnected their narrative machine is from operational truth.”
Siddiqui, now in exile, told The Print that the choice of image might also be a subtle attempt to flatter China, Pakistan’s key defence supplier. “Using Chinese imagery could be a way to say thank you,” he speculated, suggesting it may have been aimed at appealing to Beijing, which is also embroiled in its own border tensions with India.
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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
