Pak's Khawaja Asif plays detective with Marilyn Monroe, gets trolled for his watchful eye

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif found himself at the centre of fierce social media ridicule after engaging with an AI-generated image of Marilyn Monroe on X. The post, made on October 13 (Tuesday), appeared to be engagement bait, depicted the Hollywood icon in the 1950s attire standing outside a vintage hotel amid classic cars and a period valet.The challenge was for the users to identify a thing in the image that did not belong to the 1950s era. Asif reposted the image with the one-word message — "Watch", correctly spotting the modern smartwatch on Marilyn Monroe's wrist. It was accompanied by a smiling smiley. He made the post late at night, at 11:04 PM on Tuesday.The post immediately drew widespread criticism. The now-deleted post by Pakistan Defence Minster Khawaja Asif. Many questioned why the defence minister of a country grappling with insurgency, economic hardship and internal security challenges would devote public attention to Marilyn Monroe. The original post was later removed by Khawaja Asif, but screenshots and the quote-tweet continued circulating, generating hundreds of mocking comments. A verified account belonging to Hasan wrote, "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the defence minister of the Islamic republic of Pakistan."Afghan political commentator Burhanuddin was more direct, saying, "Khawaja! Stop drinking so early in the night. You’re embarrassing Pakistan in front of the entire world! You have absolutely no sense of shame or decency." Another person, Fatimah, observed, "If you ever feel unqualified for your job, just remember the Minister of Defense is on social media doing strategic analysis on an AI-generated Marilyn Monroe." Khawaja Asif faced widespread trolling over the post, which drew hundreds of mocking comments. People on social media summed up the prevailing sentiment with a tweet, "Bro, at least act like the ministry you have Embarrassing."Even journalist Nadir Baloch, previously associated with Samaa TV, Dawn and ARY News, entered the fray by explaining the puzzle in the comments, saying, "The item in the picture that does not belong to the 1956 era is the modern smartwatch worn on her wrist." Fellow users promptly labelled him an "Investigative journalist".The episode has highlighted the awkward gap between the gravity of the defence portfolio and the minister's online activity, leaving many Pakistanis asking whether this was the best use of his public platform.- Ends