Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office shared a cropped group photograph from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on Tuesday, placing him at the centre of the frame while several other world leaders were removed, according to reports. The original photo, later shared by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, showed Sharif standing fourth from the right.
The edited image, posted by Sharif’s office, featured Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Kyrgyz Colonel Ularbeek Zarlykovich Sharsheev, with Sharif positioned prominently in the middle. The photo was taken ahead of a session of the 26th SCO Leadership Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where leaders of member states gathered for a group picture.
The original photograph shared by PM Modi showed Sharif standing fourth from the right, with several other leaders also visible. The crop used by Sharif’s office removed five world leaders from the frame, shifting the visual focus towards Sharif. The apparent attempt to give Sharif a more prominent position in the photograph drew attention online.
Meanwhile, PM Modi addressed the summit in Kyrgyzstan, urging the SCO to confront countries using terrorism as an instrument of state policy and reject “double standards” in combating the menace. In the presence of Sharif, Xi Jinping, and other leaders, Modi said that “we cannot remain confined to an action-reaction approach” in the fight against terrorism, remarks widely viewed as a direct swipe at Pakistan. He also asserted that dialogue and diplomacy are the only way forward to resolve global conflicts.
Modi highlighted measures to strengthen regional cooperation amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, which have affected global energy supplies and economies. He called for greater cooperation based on the SCO’s three key pillars: security, connectivity, and opportunity, and stressed the need to move beyond vision and focus on measurable outcomes.
The 26th SCO Summit brought together 10 member states, 15 partner countries, and two observer countries to promote dialogue and cooperation on regional and global issues. The SCO was established in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became full members in 2017, followed by Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024.