SCO Summit A brief video of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif swiftly approaching from behind to shake hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a picture session at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation SCO Summit went viral.
Social media users noticed this moment and started making fun of Shehbaz Sharif online as the summit gathered steam with leaders from ten member states, including China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sharif was seen rushing from behind to hold out his hand to Putin in the video as he and Xi were strolling hand in hand following the shot. Even more striking was the fact that Xi Jinping purposefully turned his face away and left after spotting Sharif approaching.
Many referred to the action as a “desperate attempt” by the Pakistani leader to get attention, which led to a surge of internet trolling.
Shehbaz Sharif is trolled by social media users
One user said, “The Pakistani Prime Minister hurried in to shake Putin’s hand, while other leaders remained composed.” A pitiful attempt to attract attention. Knowing what was going to happen, Xi Jinping just turned his head and ignored him.
He was severely ridiculed by another user, who wrote, “The beggar attempted to approach, but Putin and Xi ignored him.” Observe how Shehbaz Sharif, the “beggar” Pakistani prime minister, is making a concerted effort to communicate with both Xi and the Russian president.
Although no official statement has supported this interpretation, some even asserted that “Xi, the host of the SCO Summit, insulted the Pakistani Prime Minister,” implying diplomatic coldness.
Others emphasised how “Xi Jinping ignored Shehbaz Sharif’s desperate attempt to shake hands and just walked past.” “What a shame for the Prime Minister of a country that constantly begs for money,” said another user, who went by the name “Indian.”
PM Modi during the SCO convention
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), established in 2001 with the goal of concentrating on regional security in Central Asia and beyond, kicked off its annual summit in Tianjin, a port city, on Monday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised during his speech to the 25th Council of Heads of State of the SCO Summit that terrorism remains a problem for all of humanity, not just for individual nations.
“Double standards on terrorism will not be acceptable,” he declared resolutely.