Defence minister hits back over Monroe AI riddle

. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday brushed aside online criticism after being mocked for responding to an AI-generated image of Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe, saying he personally operated his social media account and saw nothing unusual about his response. Speaking on private television channel programme Naya Pakistan, the PML-N stalwart was asked about the post and whether he managed his account on X himself. "200% I operate it myself," Asif said, adding that he led an ordinary life despite holding a prominent government position. "I have a personal life and a normal life. I am a normal human being; there is nothing special about me," he said, stressing he had no airs about him. The controversy began on Tuesday when Asif responded to an AI-generated image depicting Monroe, which challenged social media users to identify an object that would have been out of place in the 1950s. Resharing the image on X, the defence minister identified the smartwatch worn by Monroe as the anachronism. The original post shared by Asif has since been deleted. Addressing the criticism, Asif defended his response, arguing that he had simply answered the question posed in the post. "They presented a riddle asking about what was amiss with the photo [of Monroe], asking what should not have been present in 1956, and that was a smartwatch, so I wrote 'watch'. What is non-serious about this?" he said. Asif maintained that being the defence minister did not mean he had to give up his personality or refrain from engaging with light-hearted content on social media. He said he operated his account himself and used it "for fun", questioning why his position should prevent him from expressing himself like any other individual.