Has Gen Asim Munir Gone Into Hiding? Speculation Grows On Social Media Amidst Rising India-Pakistan Tensions

Tensions soar between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack, amid rumors about Pakistan Army Chief Munir's status and escalating diplomatic and military confrontations.

Has Gen Asim Munir Gone Into Hiding? Speculation Grows On Social Media Amidst Rising India-Pakistan Tensions

Source : X

Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, intense speculation had surrounded the whereabouts of Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Syed Asim Munir. As war rhetoric from Pakistani leaders escalated in response to New Delhi’s diplomatic offensive, several reports emerged suggesting that General Munir had gone “MIA” (Missing in Action) or was hiding in a bunker in Rawalpindi.

As soon as these rumours floods the social media the Pakistan government sought to disrupt them on Sunday by releasing a photograph of General Munir alongside Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at an official event in Abbottabad.

“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,” the caption read.

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 date mention in caption of this pictures was seen as a deliberate move to dismiss the swirling speculations regarding the Army Chief’s missing status.

The backdrop to this controversy has been a surge in anxiety within Pakistan's military establishment following India’s strong response to the Pahalgam terror strike. Reports indicate that General Asim Munir has relocated his family abroad, and several senior officers of the Pakistan Army have also reportedly sent their families to safe locations in Britain and New Jersey via private jets.

Meanwhile, Indian security forces intensified operations across Kashmir on Friday, conducting extensive searches in homes and forested areas for militants. The security sweep followed the horrific attack earlier in the week, which left 26 people dead — mostly tourists, including two foreign nationals — marking the deadliest civilian assault in the region in nearly two decades.

According to a recent breaking update there is growing opposition within the Pakistani army regarding Army Chief Asim Munir's speech on the India-Pakistan partition and Hindu-Muslim issues. According to reports, a senior general in the Pakistani army has raised objections to Asim Munir's speech, which has escalated tensions, potentially leading to war with India.

This commander is senior to Asim Munir in terms of rank, but Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appointed the junior general, Asim Munir, as army chief, despite his staunch opposition to former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The senior general has accused Asim Munir's speech of inciting terrorist organizations, which he claims led to the Pahalgam massacre. This senior general is stationed at the Pakistan Army's headquarters in Rawalpindi.

Tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours have soared to alarming levels, with India directly implicating cross-border elements in the Pahalgam attack. On April 23, New Delhi announced a series of punitive measures against Islamabad, the most significant of which was the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, a historic agreement regulating river water sharing between the two countries.

The move sparked outrage among Pakistan's political leadership, with one minister going as far as to threaten India with nuclear strikes.