Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has sparked controversy following a social media post featuring a manipulated image from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. The post, shared on Tuesday, prominently displays Sharif at the center of the photo, having cropped out other world leaders. This move has drawn criticism for its perceived absurdity and implications for diplomatic representation.
The photo shared by the Pakistani Prime Minister only showed Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Ularbeek Zarlykovich Sharsheev, a Kyrgyz colonel. The photo was taken before a session of the 26th SCO Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and it showed the leaders of the member countries standing together. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared the original picture and showed that in reality, Sharif was standing fourth from the right, and that five other world leaders had been cropped. PM Modi addressed the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan, outlining key actions for strengthening regional cooperation. His remarks came in the middle of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has affected global energy supplies and economies.
The 26th SCO Leadership Summit brought together 10 member states, 15 partner countries and two observer countries to advance dialogue and cooperation on regional and global issues.
