Following the terrorist attack at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, there is widespread anger among Pakistanis against Army Chief General Asim Munir. People have accused him of orchestrating the attack that claimed the lives of 26 innocent people and injured 17 others.
As harrowing images of the attack emerged, Pakistanis defied the ban on the social media platform X and trended hashtags like #ResignAsimMunir, #PakistanUnderMilitaryFascism, #UndeclaredMartialLaw, and #BoycottFaujiDhanda on Friday, April 25.
The Pakistani military has long been accused of thwarting peace efforts with India and promoting cross-border terrorism to maintain power. This time, the most significant allegation came from retired Pakistani army officer Adil Raja, who claimed on X that 'Army Chief General Asim Munir ordered the ISI to carry out the Pahalgam attack.' Raja also demanded Munir's removal from the post.
A Pakistani user, @sufisal, posted: 'Remove Munir, release Imran Khan, and save Pakistan.' Meanwhile, other users demanded Asim Munir's resignation, asserting, 'Asim Munir should be removed immediately; he is dangerous to his own country.'
Source: aajtak
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has been in jail since August 2023, with his supporters leading this online protest campaign. The anger against the military had been simmering for months, which the Pahalgam attack brought to a boiling point.
Another user, Bilal AI, mocked General Asim Munir with several memes and criticized the ban on X in Pakistan, suggesting that silencing digital protests only 'gives victory to India.' It should be noted that X was banned in Pakistan in February 2024 during the general elections in the name of national security.
Source: aajtak
The outrage against Munir is not solely due to the Pahalgam attack. People are also recalling the harsh police actions during last year's protests in Islamabad, where many demonstrators were killed, holding Munir responsible for it.
To many Pakistanis, Asim Munir now represents not only military overreach but also authoritarian rule and political vendetta. As criticism against Munir intensified, pro-military accounts fought back against this online protest and attempted to label opponents as pro-India. Over 9,000 posts were made on one hashtag within 24 hours.
Source: aajtak
Simultaneously, anti-India hashtags like #PAFReadyToRespond and #IndiaEmptyThreats also trended.
Online Response from Indians
Indian users have also taken a stance on social media. The hashtag #PakistanBehindPahalgam trended throughout April 25 on X, with over 30,000 posts directly blaming Pakistan's army and intelligence agencies for the terrorist attack.
This trend aimed to highlight Pakistan's ties to terrorism, especially following the viral interview of Pakistan's Foreign Minister, where he can be heard acknowledging Pakistan's past role in nurturing terror networks. He states, 'We have been doing this dirty work for America for three decades.'
