Claim: An image shows a biplane carrying a “Welcome Asim Munir” banner which welcomed the army chief upon his arrival in the US.
Fact: The image is fake. It was likely created using a template on the Photofunia site.
Social media users shared an image of a biplane carrying the banner “Welcome Asim Munir,” claiming it was flown upon his arrival in the US.
This article does not aim to verify whether such a banner was flown to welcome the army chief during his recent visits to the US; it only fact-checks the authenticity of the accompanying image.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) visits the US
In August, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir made his second visit to the US in less than two months. He met top American military officials, including Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine. The Field Marshal also attended the retirement and change-of-command ceremony for US Central Command.
Field Marshal Munir described the visit as a “new dimension” in Pak-US relations, highlighting efforts to strengthen bilateral military cooperation and address shared security challenges. He also engaged with the Pakistani diaspora in Florida, emphasising their role as a source of pride and calling for constructive, sustainable relations with Washington.
While media reports in India alleged nuclear sabre-rattling remarks by Field Marshal Munir, Pakistan’s foreign office clarified that he affirmed the country’s responsible nuclear posture. The visit follows his June meeting with the US President. It reflects improving ties between the two countries, as well as ongoing dialogue on regional security, counter-terrorism, and economic cooperation, according to Reuters.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check reverse-searched the viral image and found it was shared as early as 6 May 2021 on Pixels, a stock image website. A comparison of the plane, clouds, and text alignment confirmed that it is the same template.
We found more versions of the “Plane Banner” image with different text, indicating it has been used in multiple contexts before. Some of them can be viewed here and here.
Since the image had been repeatedly edited with different texts, we looked further and found it through reverse image search on the PhotoFunia website, which allows users to alter the image and its text. The site describes the “Plane Banner” effect as a way to add custom messages to a banner attached to a plane’s tail.
Soch Fact Check tested the tool by inserting the text “Welcome Asim Munir,” which produced an identical image to the viral one. We then inserted other text, and the tool generated images accordingly. This indicates that it was likely this tool that was used to create the viral image.
Virality
The claim was shared here, here, here, and here on Facebook. Archived here, here, here, and here.
On Instagram, it was shared here (archive) and here (archive).
On X, it was shared here, here, here, here, here, and here. Archived here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Conclusion: The viral image is not authentic. It was likely created using a template from PhotoFunia, which offers options to customise the text on the banner.
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Background image in cover photo: Pixels
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