New Delhi: Pakistanis are outraged at their leadership, accusing it of conspiring to erase the legacy of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. A recent official photograph of President Asif Ali Zardari, uploaded to the Presidency’s website, is at the centre of the controversy. The photo—featuring a wood carving of Pakistan People’s Party leader and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in the background instead of the traditional portrait of Jinnah—has sparked a wave of public criticism and online debate.
Pakistanis call Jinnah Quaid-e-Azam, an honorific title meaning ‘Great Leader’ in Urdu.
Filmmaker Danyal Afzal, who is currently working on a documentary series about the life of Jinnah’s sister, Fatima Jinnah, described it as a serious offence.
“I think it’s horrendous. It’s unacceptable. This guy is sitting there on that seat because of Mr Jinnah and Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah. This act of negligence or whatever shouldn’t be taken lightly,” he told ThePrint.
And people seem to agree with him.
“This is how our politicians polluted our history and minds of young generation to prolong their KINGDOM”, a Pakistani Instagram user wrote in the comments section of a Dialogue Pakistan post, a local media website that had reported the news.
According to local reports, other official photographs of President Zardari, also available on the Presidency’s website, do feature the customary portrait of Quaid-e-Azam. These include images captured during meetings with foreign dignitaries.
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‘Country’s true hero’
The image at the centre of the storm was initially shared on X by journalist Razi Tahir.
صدر پاکستان کی سرکاری ویب سائٹ پر، صدر اسلامی جمہوریہ پاکستان کے سرکاری پورٹریٹ میں قائداعظم محمد علی جناح کی تصویر غائب کردی گئی۔ pic.twitter.com/kAs5bfQyZ8
— Razi Tahir (@RaziTahirPak) September 2, 2025
The post quickly went viral, prompting major news channels to pick up the story, fueling outrage.
“Well, did we really expect anything different? We’re all just keyboard warriors, too afraid to question beyond the screen. So sit back and enjoy the Form 47 ride — Pakistan Zindabad,” Pakistani Instagram user Shahmeen Islam added.
Another user, Sheema Afzal, was rather direct: “They are subtly separating Pakistan from its ideology.”
An X account titled Mr Jinnah added a prediction. “Next in line his removal from currency notes may be,” read the post.
Earlier this year, people and even political parties had condemned the removal of Jinnah’s portraits from Independence Day campaigns. Even Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had called it a “shameful act” and a “direct attack on the foundation of Pakistan”, accusing the government of conspiring to “erase the memory of the country’s true hero.”
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)