Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said he runs his X account himself, “200 per cent”, and rejected the idea that holding public office means he must give up his lighter side. He responded to online debate over how he manages the account and to criticism that a defence minister should not post on frivolous matters.
Speaking to journalist Shahzad Iqbal, Asif questioned why his role should change who he is. “Should I give up my identity?” he asked, adding, “Good or bad, it is what it is. I’m 70 years old now.”
Asif’s 1956 photo riddle and the smartwatch answer
Iqbal pointed to a recent post that asked users to spot the item in a 1956 photograph that did not belong in that era. Asif replied with a single word, “watch”. The answer, a smartwatch, prompted a wave of reactions and memes online.
Asif said the exchange was harmless. He explained that the riddle asked what did not belong to that period, that the answer was a smartwatch, and that he had simply written it down. He asked what was unserious about that.
Why Asif says his lighter posts come late
Asif said his public role had not altered his personal life, describing himself as a very normal person with no special status. He said he has “no pretensions” and does not want to “wear a cloak”.
Asked whether the humour was deliberate, he said he usually posts lighter material late at night. “Usually when I’m free, around 11 or 12, my mind starts working,” he said, adding that this creative spell lasts about an hour to an hour and a half before he goes to sleep.
