Bishkek, Sept 1: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Office on Tuesday shared an edited photograph from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, cropping out several world leaders and placing Sharif prominently at the centre.
The original group photograph, taken ahead of a session of the 26th SCO Summit in Bishkek, showed leaders of SCO member states standing together, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
However, the photograph posted by the Pakistan PMO featured only Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Shehbaz Sharif, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure chief Ularbek Sharsheev.
The edited framing placed Sharif alongside several prominent leaders while leaving out Modi and other participants visible in the original photograph.
The 26th SCO Leadership Summit focused on strengthening regional cooperation and addressing shared security, economic and geopolitical challenges. The summit also marked the organisation’s 25th anniversary and was held in the expanded “SCO Plus” format.
During the summit, Modi called for a united fight against terrorism and urged SCO members to dismantle the entire ecosystem of terrorism, including its financing, recruitment, radicalisation and safe havens.
He also stressed the importance of dialogue and diplomacy in resolving conflicts and called for greater cooperation in security, connectivity and economic development.
