2025-04-08T05:41:47.000Z

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In February 2025, General Syed Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan, made a significant visit to the United Kingdom. Following his trip, social media became a battleground for misinformation when a video was circulated, falsely claiming to depict a protest against him in London. Although there was indeed a demonstration against Munir during his visit, the video in question actually captured a protest held by supporters of the jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in Brescia, Italy, back in November 2024.

The misleading video, which shows a large crowd waving PTI flags while marching on a road, was shared on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on February 20, 2025. An Urdu-language caption accompanying the video stated, “Pakistanis protest Asim Munir's visit to London. There is a lot of anger among Pakistanis around the world over the ongoing human rights violations in Pakistan.” This post garnered significant attention, amassing over 131,000 views.

General Syed Asim Munir holds a pivotal role as Pakistan’s military chief, a position that has traditionally been viewed as the actual seat of power in the nuclear-armed nation, which has a population of approximately 250 million people. His recent visit to the UK coincided with his participation in the 7th Regional Stabilisation Conference held at the esteemed Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

The circulation of the misleading video came at a time when Imran Khan’s political career faced severe challenges. Khan, who was ousted from his role as Prime Minister in April 2022, has been imprisoned since August 2023 on various charges. He was also barred from participating in the elections held in February 2024. Despite these setbacks, candidates aligned with Khan's PTI outperformed all others in the elections, securing more seats than any competitors. However, a coalition comprised of two rival parties, which are perceived as allies of the military, successfully excluded PTI from forming a government.

While it is true that PTI supporters protested in London during General Munir’s visit, the footage being shared online does not pertain to that event. Investigations, including reverse image searches, revealed that the original video was shared by the PTI's Punjab chapter on November 25, 2024. The caption for the original post emphasized the large turnout of Khan's supporters in Brescia, highlighting their protest against significant human rights abuses occurring in Pakistan.

These protests were not limited to Italy; they echoed across numerous countries, rallying support from overseas Pakistanis who sought to voice their dissent against the treatment of Khan and the political situation in Pakistan. The footage from Brescia was further verified by its alignment with Google Street View images of Via Cefalonia in Brescia, confirming the location depicted in the video.

Moreover, Pakistani fact-checking organization Soch Fact Check has also taken steps to debunk the false claims surrounding the video, illustrating the importance of vigilance in the age of rapid information dissemination and misinformation.