A social media post by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has triggered a fresh controversy, because it inadvertently exposed the influence of US. The issue began when a draft version of his post on X briefly appeared online, clearly marked with the line, “Draft – Pakistan’s PM Message on X,” just minutes before the final version was published on Tuesday, 7th April.
The wording of the draft raised eyebrows almost immediately. Ryan Grim, a founder of Drop Site Substack, pointed out that it seemed unlikely the message was written by Sharif himself or even by his close team. He noted that internal staff would not normally refer to their own leader as “Pakistan’s PM,” suggesting the draft may have been prepared externally. There is another speculation that the message could have been written by officials in the United States or Israel.
Diplomatic efforts for peaceful settlement of the ongoing war in the Middle East are progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully with the potential to lead to substantive results in near future. To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend…
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) April 7, 2026
Several social media users also questioned why the post was written in a tone and format that didn’t sound like a typical official communication from Pakistan. The use of English phrasing and the “draft” label led many to believe that the message may have been copied or forwarded without proper review before being posted publicly.
Oh, this is unbelievable. The edit history on this tweet shows that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif originally copied and pasted everything he was sent, including:
— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) April 7, 2026
"*Draft – Pakistan's PM Message on X*"
Now, obviously, Sharif's own staff don't call him "Pakistan's PM,"… https://t.co/q0ls8pK0qd pic.twitter.com/lm2vSEElkb
The controversy comes at a time when global tensions are already high. US President Donald Trump had announced a ceasefire on Tuesday, 7th April, with Iran after earlier issuing a strong warning, saying the country could face destruction if it failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. That threat, drawing criticism from world allies and many Republicans, drew a request from Sharif for Trump to “allow diplomacy to run its course,” and extend the Tuesday deadline.
While Sharif’s office has not responded to these claims, the incident has added to the growing debate online, and a lot of jokes and memes, on how the Pakistani PM cannot even post a tweet without White House’s order.
