SOURCE: AFI
In a biting display of mockery, an image gifted by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Army Chief General Asim Munir has become the subject of widespread ridicule, exposing an embarrassing blunder. The framed artwork, presented during a formal ceremony on May 24, 2025, purportedly depicting Pakistan’s military prowess, was revealed to be a photoshopped image originally sourced from a 2019 Chinese military drill, highlighting a clumsy attempt to project strength amid recent battlefield setbacks.
The image in question, prominently featuring a fiery scene of artillery rockets lighting up the night sky, was identified as a photograph of a PHL-03 long-range multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) firing during a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) 74th Group Army exercise. The original photo, published by China Military Online on August 20, 2019, was credited to editor Li Jiayao and captioned “Artillery battery fires rockets at night – Ministry of National Defense.” A corresponding post on X from the same day further confirmed the image’s origin, noting the PLA’s 74th Group Army’s involvement. However, the version gifted to General Munir had been altered, with Pakistani military insignia and branding superimposed to falsely suggest it depicted a Pakistani operation.
The gaffe quickly drew derision from Indian observers, who pointed to the incident as emblematic of Pakistan’s desperation to salvage its military reputation following the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) devastating strikes on Nur Khan Airbase earlier in May 2025. Social media platforms, particularly X, erupted with memes and commentary mocking the incident, with Indian users highlighting the irony of Pakistan resorting to doctored Chinese imagery to prop up its image after the IAF’s operation crippled its air mobility and surveillance capabilities. One viral post quipped, “When your airbase is in ruins, Photoshop becomes your best weapon.”
The timing of the gift could not have been worse for Pakistan’s leadership. General Munir, already under scrutiny for the military’s failure to counter India’s precision strikes, which demolished key infrastructure at Nur Khan Airbase and grounded the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) offensive vectors, now faces further humiliation. The photoshopped image, intended to symbolize Pakistan’s artillery strength, instead underscored a lack of authenticity and capability, amplifying the narrative of India’s air dominance in the region—a dominance cemented for the first time since 1947, as noted by former IAF Mirage-2000 pilot Sameer Joshi.
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