Claim: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Pakistan, Ahsan Iqbal, said that Field Marshal General Asim Munir may not be suitable for the position he has been appointed to.
Fact: This claim is false. A video of the complete press conference in question shows that Ahsan Iqbal was citing three negative perceptions that he believed were spread on social media prior to 6 May, including one about the army chief’s suitability.
A viral clip shows Ahsan Iqbal saying, “Humaray Army Chief jo hain shayad woh iss mansib ke ehal nahi jis par unko baitha diya gaya hai.” [Translation: Our Army Chief may not be suitable for the position he has been appointed to.]
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check reverse-searched keyframes from the viral video to trace its original source and context. An extended version was shared on 10 August 2025 by the official Instagram account of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives. It was captioned: “Planning Minister Prof. Ahsan Iqbal cautions youth to stay vigilant over social media. He explains how fake news is used to create false narratives and mislead the nation.
Before 6 May, three wrong perceptions were being spread about Pakistan but on 10 May, reality proved otherwise;
❗️Pakistan stands as one of the strongest nations,
❗️No Army Chief matches Gen. Asim Munir, and
❗️Our Army remains the most vigilant force.
This is a case study of how false propaganda is manufactured and passed off as truth.”
The video opens with the minister saying:
“Tou social media par bhi ab aap dekh rahay hain ek naye muhim chali hai fact-check ki, ke takay logon ko kis tareeqay se bataya jaye ke jhoot kia hai aur sach kia hai. Aur hum sab usko apni zindagi mein kayi dafa bhugat chukay hain ke kis tarhan jhoot ko sach aur sach ko jhoot bana ke pesh kiya jata hai. 6 May se pehlay, iss mulk ke andar social media ke upar teen perceptions paida ki ja rahein thein.”
[Translation: So, now you can see on social media that a new fact-checking campaign has begun, aimed at showing people what is false and what is true. And we have all experienced many times in our lives how lies are presented as truth and truth is turned into lies. Before 6 May, three perceptions were being created on social media within this country.]
He then listed these perceptions:
“Pehli perception yeh thi ke bas mulk ka satyanaas aur beragharrak hogaya hai. Kuch nahi bacha Pakistan mein. Doosri perception social media se kuch log yeh bana rahay thay ke humari musala afwaaj jo hai woh ab larrnay ke qabil nahi rahi. Aur teesri perception social media ke upar ke humaray Army Chief jo hain woh shayad iss mansib ke ehal nahi jis pe unko baitha diya gaya hai.”
[Translation: The first perception was that the country had been completely ruined and thrown into chaos; that nothing was left in Pakistan. The second perception, created by some people on social media, was that our armed forces were no longer capable of fighting. And the third perception on social media was that our Army Chief may not be suited for the position he has been appointed to.]
The viral clip is taken from the part of the video where the minister discusses the third perception. However, in the full speech, it is clear he was describing narratives allegedly spread on social media, and not expressing his personal view on the army chief.
He further added:
“Lekin 10 May ki haqeeqat ne inn teenon perceptions ko jhoota aur ghalat sabit kiya. 10 May ko sabit hua ke Pakistan se tagrri qaum koi nahi hai. 10 May ko sabit hua ke Pakistani jaisi musla afwaaj jaisi chaukas fouj koi nahi hai. Aur 10 May ko yeh sabit hua ke humaray Army Chief Field Marshall General Asim Munir jitna dillair Army Chief koi nahi mila humein. Tou yeh aap ke saamnay ek case study hai ke kis tarhan kuch log social media ka sahara le kar aap ko gumraah karnay ki koshish kartay hain. Aap ke undar aisay perceptions built kartay hain jin ka haqeeqat se taluq nahi hota jab haqeeqat ashkara hoti hai tou woh bilkul bar-aks hoti hai.”
[Translation: But the reality of 10 May proved all three of these perceptions to be false and incorrect. On 10 May, it was proven that no nation is braver than Pakistan. On 10 May, it was proven that there is no armed force as alert as Pakistan’s. And on 10 May, it was proven that we have never had an Army Chief as courageous as our Army Chief, Field Marshal General Asim Munir. So, this is a case study before you of how some people use social media to try to mislead you, creating perceptions within you that have no connection to reality, and when the truth is revealed, it turns out to be the complete opposite.]
The remainder of the speech confirms that Ahsan Iqbal was referring to alleged social media campaigns against the army chief, which were going around before the India-Pakistan military conflict began on 6 May 2025. He was not voicing an opinion about or criticising the army chief himself.
Virality
The claim was shared here, here, here, here, and here on Facebook. Archived here, here, here, here, and here.
On Instagram, it was shared here (archive), here (archive), and here (archive).
It was shared here (archive) and here (archive) on X.
Conclusion: The viral claim misrepresents Ahsan Iqbal’s remarks. In the full video, the federal minister cited three negative perceptions about the country that he says were being spread on social media before 6 May, including one that questioned Asim Munir’s suitability for the role of Army Chief.
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Background image in cover photo: @plancompakistan
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