Pakistan PMO Shares Photo of Army Chief Asim Munir Amid Missing Rumors After Pahalgam Attack
As tensions rise after the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that left 27 civilians dead, rumours circulated about Pakistan Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir going missing, allegedly. A number of Indian media outlets, quoting local sources, reported that Munir had gone missing or was in hiding in a Rawalpindi bunker — reports that could not be confirmed independently.
Pakistan PMO Posts Group Photo
Against mounting speculation, the Pakistan Prime Minister's Office (PMO) tweeted a group photo from Abbottabad featuring Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sitting alongside General Munir. The tweet was captioned:
"Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir (NIM), and officers of PMA Kakul in a group photo with the graduating officers of 151st Long Course at PMA Kakul, Abbottabad. April 26, 2025."
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir (NIM) and officers of PMA Kakul in a group photo with the graduating officers of 151st Long Course at PMA Kakul, Abbottabad.
April 26, 2025. pic.twitter.com/HLmVg9nUwg — Prime Minister's Office (@PakPMO) April 27, 2025
The step was interpreted as an effort to prove that Munir is still active and on duty.
India Suspends Indus Waters Treaty
Following intelligence reports reportedly placing Pakistan-based groups behind the Pahalgam attack, India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty — a historic first in the tense relationship of the two nuclear powers. Islamabad criticised the action as "illegal."
Controversial Remarks by Munir
General Munir has also been in the limelight for his inciting remarks. A few days ago, he referred to Kashmir as Pakistan's "jugular vein." Talking again at the Abbottabad event, Munir repeated the 'two-nation theory' that Hindus and Muslims "are different in all respects."
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Contribute now Srinagar: Is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti trying to rebuild the bridges with the Bhartiya Janta Party-led Union government that she and her party leaders spent six years tearing down after the reading down of Article 370? In an unusual political departure, Mufti called on the lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha at the Raj Bhawan in Srinagar on June 2 – something which sparked speculation in Jammu and Kashmir. Some political analysts suggest that the PDP, a party with a 'soft separatist' agenda, is finally coming to terms with the 'harsh realities in J&K' against the backdrop of the Pahalgam massacre which has temporarily overshadowed the political dialogue over the restoration of J&K's statehood. Other analysts and observers argue that Mufti, who raised the issue of Kashmiri Pandits with Sinha, was ramping up her attacks on chief minister Omar Abdullah whose government had been reduced to a powerless entity in the Union territory while Raj Bhawan holds the reins of power. 'Major shift' Rekha Chowdhary, academic and former professor of political science at the University of Jammu, said that the meeting was laced with irony given that Mehbooba and her party leaders including Pulwama legislator Waheed Parra have been criticising Abdullah for being too close to the Union government. 'It is a major shift,' Chowdhary said, 'Mehbooba Mufti taking the initiative on her own and showing her interest in reconciling with the new political situation reflects that her party is facing existential issues and it has realised that in the present situation (post Pahalgam) nothing is going to change politically for the time being'. 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Sharing the podium with prime minister Narendra Modi in Katra during the inauguration of the historic rail link to Kashmir, Abdullah pointed to his 'small demotion' as the chief minister of a state to that of a UT which is administered by the Union government. 'But I am optimistic that the time will soon come when this wrong will be righted and you will restore Jammu and Kashmir's statehood,' he said to Modi, evoking a dismissive smile from Sinha who also attended the inauguration ceremony. LG Manoj Sinha, PM Narendra Modi and CM Omar Abdullah during the inauguration of the Chenab Rail Bridge. Photo: X/@narendramodi. On the possibility of J&K UT's transition to a state and Mehbooba Mufti meeting LG to prepare grounds for the same, Choudhary said it would depend on the interpretation of J&K Reorganisation Act and there could be fresh election if J&K's statehood was restored. 'Right now, it is a UT assembly as per this act. I believe there would be another reorganisation act for the transition of J&K to a state that will have its own processes and provisions and which will need the approval of the parliament,' she said. PDP versus NC; NC versus NC She said that the PDP has been cornering the Abdullah government for allegedly reneging on its electoral promises but the narrative that nothing was being done by the ruling party on Article 370 restoration and other issues wasn't gaining much public traction. 'The PDP is very much part of that narrative but the (Abdullah) government looks stable, unless there is some coup like in 1984 and some NC leaders decide to come out of the party. That would lead to a major crisis which I don't see forthcoming,' she said. Abdullah and his allies have 49 seats in the assembly of 90 but the questions over the 'impotence' of the elected government are gaining momentum, even within the ruling party. Last month, senior National Conference leader and three-time legislator from Srinagar's Habba Kadal constituency Shameema Firdous said that Abdullah was unable to deliver on the promises made by the party due to the alleged interferences by Sinha and his administration. 'We thought elections would solve our problems but now we have realised that there are many challenges. We cannot do anything or deliver the promises for which we were voted to power. Even the chief minister is facing problems,' said Firdous, in an interview with ETV. After the Lok Sabha parliamentarian Aga Syed Ruhullah, Firdous has become the second senior leader of the National Conference whose remarks have landed Abdullah in a difficult position. Ruhullah stirred a major row during the National Conference's working committee meeting last month when, without taking names, he sought to target the party leadership for abandoning the promises made in the election manifesto last year, including the restoration of J&K's pre-Article 370 identity and expeditious release of political prisoners. Following a tense exchange with Abdullah, the Srinagar MP offered to resign and later walked out of the meeting (something that was denied by the party), sarcastically dismissing it as a 'public milan ' of the party 'that once stood for something bigger than power'. Later, in a cryptic post on X, Ruhullah indirectly asked the chief minister to wear bangles if he can't deliver on his promises. 'Disillusionment with the elected government has started too early,' senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar said, adding that an 'organic change' was taking place on the political front in Jammu and Kashmir as the ruling party was failing to live up to its electoral promises. Akhtar, a former J&K minister and the PDP ideologue, dismissed attempts to attach political motives to Mufti's volte face, arguing that a clear message had gone out post the massacre at Baisaran meadow that Kashmiris are against all forms of terrorism. 'We thought that this message shouldn't be a one-off occasion. The issue of Kashmiri Pandits seems to have been pushed on the back burner and by seeking their rehabilitation, we are affirming that Kashmir is not a communal issue,' Akhtar said. Chowdhary said that Mehbooba's meeting was an indication of the party's struggle to find relevance in the prevailing political situation, especially as Abdullah was negotiating directly with the Union government while the PDP had been reduced to merely three members in the assembly. 'Rather than talking about hard issues, she must have chosen a softer issue like Kashmiri Pandits because it appeals to many and it can appeal to the Union government also,' she said. She added: 'If PDP is feeling that J&K statehood was going to be restored or some other political development was going to take place, the party would be fixing its act on the ground and trying to win the support of people rather than meeting the LG,' she said. Akhtar said that the party has not given up on its political agenda, 'We will continue to promote peace with dignity which includes political resolution of Kashmir problem and an end to human rights abuses,' he said. 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