Old videos of Pakistan army chief falsely linked to current conflict with India

Published on May 13, 2025 at 09:11
4 min read
By Rimal FARRUKH, AFP Pakistan

Tensions between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan soared after a deadly attack on tourists on the Indian-run side of Kashmir in April 2025, but two online videos of the Pakistani army chief visiting the disputed border are old. Social media posts claim they depict General Asim Munir visiting the Line of Control (LoC) before a ceasefire was announced, but one was shot in December 2022 while another was taken during Eid al-Adha celebrations in June 2024.

"General Syed Asim Munir reassures the nation during a visit along the LoC in Kashmir. The defenders of #Pakistan will never hesitate from any sacrifice in preserving our sovereignty & territorial integrity!" reads an English-language X post shared April 30, 2025.

The accompanying video features the army chief inspecting various military outposts in a mountainous area and addressing troops from a podium.

Screenshot of the false post taken May 13, 2025

Another video surfaced May 6 and 7 in X posts making similar claims.

Screenshot of the false post taken May 13, 2025

Both India and Pakistan accused each other of a series of attacks during four days of intense fighting before US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire on May 10 (archived link).

Sparked by a deadly assault on tourists on the Indian side of disputed Kashmir, the missile, drone and artillery attacks killed at least 60 people and sent thousands fleeing in the worst violence since India and Pakistan’s last open conflict in 1999. New Delhi blamed the attack on Islamabad, which rejects the accusation.

Both videos of the Pakistani army chief predate the escalating conflict.

Reverse image searches found the Pakistani military's public relations wing, ISPR, shared both videos on its official website and YouTube channel.

The first video was published in December 2022 with a title that says Munir was visiting the Rakhchikri sector of the LoC (archived links here and here). The ISPR's footage does not contain audio.

Subsequent keyword searches found the circulating video was edited to add audio from a speech by the army chief during the country's Independence Day parade on August 14, 2023 (archived link).

Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and the ISPR footage

Pakistani media outlet The Nation and broadcaster Al Jazeera both covered the visit, which took place shortly after Munir was appointed (archived links here and here).

Statements published in June 2024 on the ISPR's website and YouTube channel indicate the second video shows Munir visiting the Hajipir sector of the LoC with troops to celebrate Eid al-Adha, the second-largest Islamic festival (archived links here and here).

The audio transposed over the footage in the false posts is from a speech given by the army chief during an Independence Day parade on August 14, 2024 (archived link).

Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and ISPR footage

Pakistan's Dawn News covered the visit the same day (archived link).

As of May 13, 2025, there had not been any official reports about Munir visiting the LoC during the latest tensions with India.

AFP has debunked a flurry of misinformation about the conflict.

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