Did Asim Munir Gift Shehbaz Sharif a Chinese Drill Photo Depicting As ‘Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos’?

A high-profile dinner hosted by Pakistan Field Marshal Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff, has stirred fresh controversy online. The event, meant to honour the political leadership, the armed forces' "steadfast commitment," and the "indomitable spirit" of the people of Pakistan as seen during "Marka-e-Haq - Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos," became the subject of widespread mockery on social media.

The dinner was attended by top political and military leadership, including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gilani, and others.

However, what caught the internet's eye was a framed painting gifted by General Munir to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Images released from the event showed the painting, which was touted as a depiction of the so-called military operation. But sharp-eyed users on X (formerly Twitter) were quick to point out that the image bore a striking resemblance to a 4-year-old photograph from a Chinese military exercise.

Several users claimed that the image was lifted directly from publicly available visuals of the Chinese People's Liberation Army drills, raising questions about the authenticity of Pakistan's portrayal of Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos.

"They can't even produce original visuals of their own military operation," one user quipped.

Criticism has also mounted over the timing of Munir's promotion. Traditionally, the rank of field marshal is reserved for military leaders who steer their nation to undeniable victory in war. But in this case, no such conflict has occurred, and sources suggest that during the alleged "Operation Sindoor," it was India that inflicted damage on Pakistan's airbases and neutralised its drones and missiles.

Indian defence systems reportedly thwarted Pakistan's military response following Operation Sindoor, successfully intercepting most of the drones and unmanned aerial vehicles launched from across the border.

Despite these realities, the Pakistani narrative around Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos was presented as a patriotic high point at the dinner. But the discovery of the Chinese-origin image has now undermined the credibility of the narrative and made the entire event a subject of public mockery.

As of now, neither the Pakistan Army nor the government has issued any clarification regarding the viral image or the backlash over Munir's promotion.