Pakistan PM office crops out world leaders from SCO group photo to put Shehbaz Sharif at centre, PM Modi shares original

In what quickly turned into an embarrassing social media moment for Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office on Tuesday shared a cropped photograph from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit that placed Sharif at the centre of the frame while removing several other leaders who were standing alongside him.

The photograph, posted by the official account of the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office, was described as a “group photo with heads of States” at the SCO Council of Heads of State Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on September 1, 2026.

However, the version released by the Pakistani PMO was not the complete group photograph. It showed 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 original photograph, subsequently shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, offered a rather different picture.

In the uncropped image, Sharif can be seen standing fourth from the right, with several other leaders and officials occupying the space that had been removed from the version shared by the Pakistani Prime Minister’s Office.

The difference between the two photographs immediately drew attention because the crop did more than simply remove peripheral portions of the frame—it substantially altered the composition, making Sharif appear to occupy a much more central position among the participating leaders.

PM Modi shares the original photograph

While the Pakistani PMO shared its edited version, PM Modi posted the original group photograph from the SCO summit, allowing the complete arrangement of the leaders to be seen.

The contrast between the two images was particularly striking because both posts referred to the same group photograph taken ahead of a session of the SCO Council of Heads of State Summit in Bishkek.

The incident has since become a talking point on social media, with users pointing out the difference between the official photograph released by Pakistan and the original version.

26th SCO summit brings regional leaders together

The photograph was taken during the 26th SCO Leadership Summit in Bishkek, where leaders and representatives from the organisation’s member states, partner countries and observer states gathered for discussions on regional and global issues.

The SCO was established in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined as full members in 2017, followed by Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024.

The summit brought together representatives from the organisation’s 10 member states, along with 15 partner countries and two observer states.

PM Modi stresses security, connectivity and opportunity

Addressing the summit, Prime Minister Modi called for greater cooperation within the SCO around three broad priorities—security, connectivity and opportunity.

He stressed that the organisation needed to move beyond broad declarations and focus on tangible and measurable outcomes.

Modi’s remarks came against the backdrop of continuing geopolitical tensions, including the conflict in the Middle East and its wider consequences for energy markets and economies.

The SCO summit was intended to provide a platform for member and partner countries to discuss regional security, economic cooperation, connectivity and other shared challenges.

But alongside those discussions, the unusual handling of a routine summit photograph by the Pakistani PMO provided a lighter, and decidedly more awkward, moment from the event.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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