Pakistan’s military leadership mistakenly presented a 2019 photo from a Chinese military drill as evidence of a successful strike against India. During a ceremony celebrating Pakistan’s claimed military achievement, Army Chief Asim Munir gifted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif the image, falsely portraying it as proof of a recent operation. The photo, shown by Munir at a formal dinner, sparked immediate backlash after online users recognized it as an old, widely circulated picture of the Chinese PHL-03 rocket launcher taken by photographer Huang Hai during a 2019 drill.

Despite the photo’s known origin, it was presented as a memento for “Marka-e-Haq – Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos,” which Pakistan claims was a counter-attack against India. The event was meant to honour the armed forces’ dedication and the resilience of Pakistan’s people. However, the attempt to repurpose the outdated Chinese image as a symbol of Pakistani military strength quickly drew ridicule, with social media users exposing its true source.

One user remarked, “Shehbaz Sharif gifted a Chinese drill photo to the army chief as an ‘Op Bunyan’ keepsake. Seems like they haven’t heard of Google Image Search.” Another added, “Pak PM just gave Asim Munir a photo from a 2019 Chinese drill, faking war success against India. Meanwhile, India presented verified evidence of precise strikes in #OperationSindoor. Denial and deception remain Pakistan’s state policy.”

This incident adds to a series of recent missteps where Pakistan’s military claims have been debunked by online fact-checkers.