Pakistan PMO faces backlash over edited SCO group photo showing PM Modi removed

PTC Web Desk:  Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office has faced criticism over a group photograph from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit after an edited version appeared on its official X account with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other leaders removed.

The original photograph was taken in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, during the SCO summit. It showed 12 leaders, including PM Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, standing together on the stage.

However, the photograph shared by the Pakistan PMO initially showed only six leaders. Narendra Modi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and four other leaders were missing from the edited image.

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Around six hours after the controversy, the Pakistan PMO shared another SCO photograph on X in which PM Modi was also visible.

Meanwhile, during the SCO summit, Shehbaz Sharif also raised the issue of the Indus Waters Treaty. He said water should not be used as a political tool or weapon and argued that agreements concerning shared water resources cannot be ignored according to convenience.

His remarks came amid the ongoing dispute between India and Pakistan over the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty.

PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping also met briefly on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek.

The two leaders were seen shaking hands and speaking to each other. A separate bilateral meeting between Modi and Xi had not been scheduled in advance. Russian President Vladimir Putin was also seen with the two leaders during the interaction.

In his SCO address, PM Modi called for a united approach against terrorism and said countries should not adopt different standards when dealing with terrorism.

He stressed that fighting terrorism requires more than targeting terrorists. The financial networks, recruitment channels and support systems behind terrorism must also be dismantled.

PM Modi also called for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflicts, saying wars have far-reaching consequences, particularly in West Asia.

He further described the SCO as a platform that brings together different civilisations, cultures and ideas.